Daijiworld Media Network – Iran
Iran, Jul 8: Thousands of mourners gathered in Iraq's holy city of Najaf on Wednesday as funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began, with his body set to travel to Karbala before returning to Iran for the final rites.
The funeral ceremonies, which began in Tehran on Saturday, have drawn large crowds, prompting authorities to shut down major roads, restrict airspace and suspend normal activities as the country mourns the leader who ruled Iran for decades.
Khamenei's body arrived in Najaf on Tuesday, accompanied by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials. The coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and enclosed in a glass case, was welcomed by mourners waving Iranian, red and black flags, while some performed traditional acts of self-flagellation.
"We the people of Iraq will remain a thorn in the eyes of the enemies," said mourner Jaafar Jawad, describing the funeral procession as a great honour for the holy city of Najaf.
Funeral prayers in Najaf are scheduled to be held at the Shrine of Imam Ali and led by senior Shiite scholar Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim. The body will then be taken to Karbala, where prayers will be conducted at the Imam Hussein Shrine under the leadership of Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei, a representative of Iraq's top Shiite religious authority.
Khamenei, 86, was killed in late February during large-scale US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran that also claimed the lives of several senior Iranian officials.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States remain stalled until after the funeral. Fresh military exchanges in the Persian Gulf have further heightened tensions, with US forces launching strikes after accusing Iran of attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, followed by Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly during the funeral ceremonies and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being injured in the airstrike that killed his father.