Iran prepares for weeklong funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in war

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - July 03, 2026 10:27 pm IST - Tehran Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's picture is kept during his farewell ceremony, following his death on February 28 during Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on Iran, for international delegates at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran July 3, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Iran prepared on Friday (July 3, 2026) for the dayslong funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with banners across Tehran urging the public to rise up in support of the Islamic Republic after the devastating war that killed the 86-year-old cleric. The country's theocracy plans to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning on Saturday (July 4, 2026) in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. That could provide a boost for Iran's government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war, and as concern still lingers that Israel could attack yet again. Despite that, a powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months for the funeral. Other top government officials will also likely will be on hand alongside foreign dignitaries in a show of strength of Iran. “As long as these people, who are chosen (by God), are on the field, we will definitely continue the same 'no to humiliation' policy that was founded by the Islamic Republic,” said Mohammad Hossein Rezaei, a volunteer preparing for the funeral on Friday (July 3, 2026). “We will continue our policy of pursuing independence, and decisions will be made inside the country, and the people will decide their own fate,” he said. Khamenei's flag-draped coffin sat at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside family members killed in the Israeli airstrike that came in the first moments of the war on February 28. The dead being honoured include a son-in-law, his eldest daughter, a 14-month-old granddaughter and the wife of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the previous leader who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the attack. Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries walked up to Khamenei's casket as a military band played or a man sang prayers. Iran's Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, key leaders in the country's civilian government, all paid their respects. Video published by Iranian state media showed an earlier mourning ceremony on Thursday (July 2, 2026) night for Khamenei. The black-clad mourners, whom state media identified as coming from families of those who lost loved ones in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran seen as a blessing. Later, state media showed images of Khamenei's casket draped by a red flag with white calligraphy reading “Ya Hussein,” a Shiite expression in remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. It had been flying over the Imam Hussein golden-domed shrine in Karbala, Iraq. The flag also traditionally symbolises both the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance. Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting on Thursday (July 2, 2026) about the funeral of Khamenei, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday (July 2, 2026) night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran. “They must know that the pure blood of our martyred imam will mark another turning point in the victories of beloved Islam across the global arena,” Mr. Vahidi told state television in comments aired on Friday (July 3, 2026). “They will take to their graves the wish to see this nation surrender. This nation will rise higher day by day through this pure blood.” Mr. Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran's tough stance in negotiating a pos

Iran prepares for weeklong funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in war

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Iran prepares for weeklong funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in war

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