Millions Bid Farewell as Khamenei’s Funeral Heads to Qom
News Desk
Tehran: The funeral procession of Iran’s martyred Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his family departed Tehran on Sunday after funeral prayers were offered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque, with millions of mourners lining the streets to pay their final respects.
According to officials, the procession began from the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque, where the bodies had remained for the past two days, and is expected to travel nearly 10 kilometers through Tehran before heading to the holy city of Qom for the next stage of the funeral rites.
The route includes Damavand Street, Imam Hussein Square, Enghelab Street, Enghelab Square, Azadi Street, Azadi Square and Shahid Lashgari Highway near Mehrabad Airport.
Despite soaring temperatures, millions of mourners gathered along the route. Iranian media, including Tasnim News Agency and Press TV, reported that Enghelab Square and Vali Asr Square were packed with mourners. Officials described the gathering as one of the largest public assemblies in the country’s modern history.
The funeral prayers for Ayatollah Khamenei and his family members, including his daughter Bushra Khamenei, son-in-law Misbah al-Huda Baqeri, daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel and granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi, were led in three stages by prominent cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani.
Senior political and military leaders attended the ceremony, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior commanders of the Iranian armed forces.
Following the ceremony, mourners chanted slogans as the procession moved through Tehran. According to reports, organizers addressed the crowd before the funeral procession continued toward Qom.
Iran’s cultural ambassador to Iraq, Gholam Reza Abazari, said the body will later be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, where additional funeral processions are planned before returning to Iran for burial at the shrine of Imam Ali al-Ridha (AS) in Mashhad.
Iran is observing a seven-day period of national mourning. Authorities have reportedly opened thousands of schools to accommodate visitors arriving from across the country, with millions expected to attend the final burial ceremony in Mashhad.
