According to CNN, public mourning for Khamenei began at 6 a.m. local time on July 4 at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a large prayer facility in the capital, Tehran.
Before the arrival of Khamenei's funeral procession, mourners gathered in large numbers around the Mosalla. Public mourning is set to continue for 24 hours, allowing attendees to pay their respects as they pass by his casket.
The funeral schedule will last for six days, concluding on July 9. On July 5, a funeral service will be held for Khamenei and his family, followed by continued public mourning.
A major funeral procession will take place in Tehran on July 6, starting at 6 a.m. The procession, which will include a funeral service, will stretch approximately 10 kilometers from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Square.
On July 7, a prayer service will be held at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, located about 150 kilometers south of Tehran. Depending on local conditions, a funeral procession may also occur in Qom.
On July 8, Khamenei's body will be transferred to Najaf, a Shiite holy site in Iraq. This move appears to be an effort by the Iranian regime to demonstrate that its revolutionary ideology continues to hold influence beyond its borders. An official reception will take place in Najaf, attended by the Iraqi Prime Minister, senior government officials, and religious leaders.
Following this, the procession will move to the Imam Ali Shrine, a major site for Shiite Muslims. The body will then be transported by helicopter to the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, approximately 80 kilometers away, before returning to Iran.
The funeral schedule is expected to conclude with a burial ceremony at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei's hometown and a Shiite holy site in northeastern Iran, on July 9.
Khamenei died on February 28, during a targeted airstrike by Israel while he was at his residence with his family, amid the onset of war with the U.S. and Israel.
Iran was unable to hold a funeral due to the war's aftermath, but began the procedures 126 days after his death, following a ceasefire agreement with the U.S. last month.
Khamenei's funeral schedule coincides with the U.S. Independence Day, marking the 250th anniversary of the nation. Analysts suggest that the Iranian regime aims to showcase its internal cohesion and external influence through this funeral.
It remains unclear whether Khamenei's son and successor, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, will attend the funeral. He has not appeared in public since the outbreak of the war with the U.S. and Israel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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