TEHRAN — Massive crowds filled central Tehran on Monday as funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moved through the capital, marking one of the largest public gatherings in the country in recent years after days of state-organized mourning ceremonies.
State television broadcast live images of mourners dressed largely in black lining major thoroughfares as a vehicle carrying flag-draped coffins passed through the city. Many participants waved Iranian flags, held portraits of Khamenei and chanted religious slogans and calls for retaliation over his killing during the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States earlier this year.
Iranian authorities described the turnout as numbering in the millions, although no independent estimate was immediately available. The procession followed two days during which Khamenei's body lay in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla prayer complex, where senior officials, military commanders, foreign delegations and members of the public paid their respects.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials attended the ceremonies, while security remained tight across the capital. State media said additional funeral events were scheduled in other Iranian cities before Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad, concluding a multi-day state funeral.
The funeral comes months after Khamenei was killed in strikes at the outset of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States, an event that triggered a leadership transition and heightened regional tensions. Iranian officials have repeatedly blamed Israel and the United States for the attack and vowed a response. Israel has not publicly commented on the funeral ceremonies, while previous statements from Israeli and U.S. officials have addressed broader military operations rather than the memorial events.
Authorities mobilized extensive public transportation and logistical support for mourners traveling from across the country. Iranian media reported exceptionally heavy use of metro, bus and rail services during the funeral period, though those figures could not be independently verified.
The official funeral schedule called for ceremonies to continue in several locations before Khamenei's burial in Mashhad. Iranian authorities said the remaining commemorations would proceed under heightened security, with no major disruptions officially reported as of Friday.
