Iran was making final preparations on Tuesday for the state funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as workers completed arrangements at the capital’s Grand Mosalla ahead of ceremonies expected to attract millions of mourners.
Large portraits of Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli air strikes on 28 February at the age of 86, were displayed across the vast prayer complex, where his body will lie in state before Saturday’s funeral.
The funeral, initially postponed during the height of the conflict in the Middle East, will take place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire following a preliminary agreement to halt hostilities.
The bodies of several of Khamenei’s relatives, who were also killed during the conflict, will be presented during the ceremonies.
Officials expect between 15 million and 20 million people to attend, which would make it the largest state funeral in Iran’s history.
Workers were seen repainting parts of the Grand Mosalla while cranes erected temporary structures around the complex. State television broadcast footage of construction crews completing preparations as security was stepped up across the area.
With exceptionally large crowds anticipated, state media has urged mourners to use public transport and advised them to remain hydrated as temperatures are forecast to rise during the funeral period.
Traffic restrictions were already in place across parts of the capital on Tuesday, with several lanes on major roads closed ahead of the ceremonies.
Iranian state television has also dedicated much of its recent programming to documentaries reflecting on Khamenei’s life and more than three decades as the country’s supreme leader.
A separate ceremony for foreign dignitaries is scheduled for Friday, according to Ali-Akbar Pourjamshidian, secretary of the funeral headquarters.
Pourjamshidian said representatives from around 30 countries were expected to attend, with pilgrims and mourners travelling from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Authorities have declared public holidays in Tehran and the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, where later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies will take place. Public and private offices in Tehran will remain closed from Saturday until Monday, while extensive traffic restrictions will limit access to much of the city centre.
The funeral comes six months after nationwide protests over the rising cost of living evolved into wider anti-government demonstrations.
Across Tehran, banners displayed messages promising Iran “a bright future”, while others carried the official funeral slogan, “We Must Rise”.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before being buried on 9 July at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his birthplace.
It remains unclear whether his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment, will attend the main funeral ceremony.
“The issue of the Supreme Leader’s attendance is not within my authority or knowledge,” Pourjamshidian said.
“If there is any programme, it will certainly be announced by the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.”
