Iran Mourns Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei with Millions at Funeral Procession

An enormous multitude converged in Tehran on Monday for the funeral procession of Iran's recently deceased supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Authorities estimate millions filled the streets, a turnout potentially rivaling the farewell for his predecessor nearly four decades ago. While official figures are yet to be released, images from AFP clearly depicted vast crowds stretching across the Iranian capital's main thoroughfares.

These ceremonies serve as a critical opportunity for Iran to project national resilience, especially after five weeks of conflict with the United States and Israel. However, public attention remains sharply focused on Khamenei's designated successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has conspicuously remained out of public view since assuming power.

After a two-day lying-in-state period at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, Khamenei's body—who lost his life on February 28, the first day of the Middle East war—commenced its journey through the capital, accompanied by the massive gathering. AFP images showed flower petals adorning the coffin as it slowly moved through the city streets.

Authorities are keen to prevent a repeat of the disorder that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei's predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which state news agency IRNA reported drew an estimated 10 million people. That event saw crowd surges that tragically resulted in over 10 deaths and more than 10,000 injuries. Gholamreza Khanbabaei, 58, who attended both processions, remarked, "If I am to compare this ceremony to that one, I can say they are not different at all. But the crowd this time seems more enthusiastic."

Tehran's airspace was shut down on Monday as the nation observed a day of remembrance for its former leader. Mourners marched, brandishing both Iranian flags and those of the Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, alongside red flags symbolising retribution. State media also reported that some attendees in Imam Hussein Square, eastern Tehran, displayed an effigy of US President Donald Trump. Local media noted the presence of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the procession. Amidst the intense heat, trucks sprayed water to cool the mourners, while organisers distributed Iranian flags and images of both Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei.

The procession route spans approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles). The previous day, thousands had gathered at the Grand Mosalla to pay their respects to Khamenei and four family members who perished in the Israeli airstrikes, which were reportedly based on US intelligence. Massive concrete barriers were erected at the complex to separate the public from the coffin, a measure to prevent potential stampedes. The level of public access and proximity during Monday's procession remains uncertain, but officials are acutely aware of the 1989 incident where a helicopter was required to transport Khomeini for burial after mourners swarmed his vehicle, causing his burial shroud to tear and his body to fall.

Following Monday's events, similar ceremonies are scheduled for the clerical centre of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday. The culmination will be Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad, located in northeastern Iran, on Thursday.

A rare public appearance was made by three of Ali Khamenei’s sons at the Sunday funeral, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba, who was named supreme leader shortly after his father's demise but has not yet appeared publicly. Officials have indicated he was wounded in the airstrikes, though the extent of his injuries is unclear. Ahmad Vahidi, the new commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards—whose predecessor was also killed on February 28—made his second funeral appearance on Sunday, this time in the open air, having been unseen throughout the conflict. Esmail Qaani, the enigmatic head of the Guards’ Quds Force, responsible for foreign operations, also made a rare public showing.

The government is keen to highlight the massive public mobilisation as a show of support for the authorities, especially after widespread protests in January which rights groups claim were suppressed by a crackdown resulting in thousands of deaths. Although the Middle East war is currently paused due to a ceasefire and an initial agreement with the US, both Washington and Tehran have warned of their readiness to resume military action. Consequently, the theme of vengeance has been prominent throughout the funeral proceedings.

Khamenei consistently pursued a confrontational stance against the West, and for years, Tehran has backed anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups across the Middle East, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both of whom sent delegations to the ceremonies. Some of Khamenei's supporters at Monday's procession echoed this sentiment of confrontation. Khanbabaei reiterated, “We want revenge. It must be done. Because later, if it’s not done, it will get worse.”