Iran Supreme Leader Funeral: Iran’s most powerful leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died at the beginning of the war with America and Israel. Now preparations for his funeral are going on. This ritual will continue for several days. Lakhs of people can participate in it.
Ali Khamenei’s funeral is beginning several months after his death. Mourning ceremonies lasting several days are being organized in July, in which his body will be taken to different cities in Iran and Iraq. There are fears that Iran’s religious government will encourage the public, government employees and paramilitary forces to take to the streets in his honor.PC
Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly four decades, was assassinated on February 28 when the US and Israel jointly launched the war. His funeral was postponed as the war continued. Preparations for the funeral have begun, with banners put up across Tehran.
danger of stampede
Lakhs of people are expected to attend the last journey of Ali Khamenei. Due to huge crowd, the risk of stampede may also increase. A similar stampede occurred during the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader. At least eight people were killed and about 11,000 people were injured in this chaos.
A similar incident also happened at the funeral of Qasim Sulemani in 2020. In which at least 56 people were killed and more than 2000 people were injured. Therefore, this time strict security arrangements have been made.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s presence unclear
Funeral preparations have begun, but it is still unclear whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will make his first public appearance during his father’s funeral procession. The young Khamenei is believed to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and is still living in hiding.
funeral program
Khamenei’s body will be kept for viewing at Tehran’s Grand Moselle on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday it will be taken out in a procession through the streets of Tehran, after which it will be taken to the Shia seminary city of Qom, about 120 kilometers to the south. Tributes will be paid to Khamenei there on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Khamenei’s body will be taken to Karbala, Iraq, where the mausoleum of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is located. After this, Khamenei will be brought to Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city. The burial is likely to take place on July 9. Lakhs of people can participate in the entire program.
Where will Khamenei be buried?
Officials say Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. Imam Raza was the eighth Imam of Shia Islam. Every year lakhs of pilgrims come to visit this dargah. According to a Hadith, any unhappy person or sinner gets salvation by coming here.
Several prominent Shia clerics are buried there, including the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
Who was Khamenei?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the supreme leader of Iran, who ruled the country for nearly 40 years. He was the leading face of Iran’s post-Islamic Revolution regime. His death occurred at the beginning of the war, after which the funeral was postponed due to the war. Now after an interim agreement this ceremony is taking place. The event reflects Iran’s Shia tradition, political stability, and regional influence.
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