Thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran on Friday for the funeral ceremonies of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei’s coffin was carried into the complex, draped in a flag of the Islamic Republic and with his black turban placed on top. The bodies of his dead relatives were also placed beside him, including the small coffin of his 14-month-old granddaughter.
Khamenei’s granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, was killed alongside him and some other family members on February 28, when the US and Israel jointly launched a war against Iran. On Friday, her small coffin, draped in the national flag, was displayed along with her framed photo.
Un cadre du cercueil de la martyre Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, #petite-fille du Guide suprême martyr de la Révolution islamique, à la Mosalla de #Téhéran.#بدرقه_آقای_شهید_ایران#باید_برخاست#NousDevonsNousSoulever#MartyrKhamenei pic.twitter.com/8JemW4zW4A
— Iran en France (@IRANinFRANCE) July 3, 2026
Khamenei’s remains arrived in Tehran on Friday for six days of public funeral ceremonies planned in cities across Iran and Iraq. His remains will be carried across cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Hundreds of supporters of the Islamic republic were already waiting on Friday evening outside Tehran’s Grand Mosalla ahead of its opening to the public today.
Photo Credit: AFP
Once the gates opened today, thousands of mourners entered the venue, and the main courtyard of the vast complex was filled with people. The mourners carried red banners, a symbol associated with calls for revenge, and chanted “death to America” and “revenge, revenge”, news agency AFP reported.
“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei. I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy,” a 27-year-old mourner told news agency Associated Press.
Photo Credit: AFP
Top Iranian officials showed their grief on Friday, with parliament speaker and top negotiator in the US talks Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visibly tearful.
Top Iranian officials paying their respects included Ahmad Vahidi, who was named chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor was killed in the same strikes that killed Khamenei.
Bihar governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita are representing India at the ceremony.
Khamenei’s coffin will lie in Tehran until Monday, when a procession will pass through the city. It will move to the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday before moving to holy cities in neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday and then proceeding for burial on Thursday in Khamenei’s home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
