Iran is preparing for a massive, long-delayed six-day funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei starting Friday, July 4. Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, was killed during U.S.-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in February. The ceremonies will take place across five cities, with the gathering in Tehran expected to be the largest in the city's history, potentially drawing 15 to 20 million mourners.
In the early hours of Friday, Tehran saw the appearance of police roadblocks, army vans, stalls, and posters. Groups of mourners gathered along roads decorated with a red fist symbol and the slogan "We must rise." During a ceremony for the families of martyrs, Khamenei’s coffin was displayed. Additionally, a powerful general leading Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has made his first public appearance in months as the country prepares for the rites.
The scale of the funeral is a calculated move by the regime to project strength, unity, and national power. It is intended to serve as an epic display of personal mourning, resilience, and social cohesion, relaying a message of resistance to the rest of the world. By demonstrating that its revolutionary fervor still burns strong, the leadership aims to prove that the Islamic Republic has endured during a shaky peace deal with the U.S.