Iran officially commenced a six-day public funeral ceremony on July 4, 2026, for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, who was 86, died months earlier after a joint United States-Israeli airstrike targeted his official residence in Tehran on February 28, marking the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, carrying red banners symbolizing vengeance as they awaited the arrival of Khamenei's coffin. Following the ceremonies in Tehran, the coffin will be taken to Qom, a holy city for Shiite Muslims, and then to neighboring Iraq before being buried in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.

For security reasons, Iran's airspace and many streets in the cities where the coffin will be displayed will be closed during the ceremonies. International dignitaries attending the funeral included Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has played a mediating role between Washington and Tehran. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian security council, represented President Vladimir Putin, while He Wei, vice chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, attended on behalf of China.

The last public appearance of Khamenei was on February 8, nearly three weeks before the airstrike that led to his death.

Sources