Tehran: Iran prepared on Friday for the days-long 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 Saturday in scenes reminiscent of the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
That could provide a boost for the Iranian government, particularly as it tries to leverage its position over the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the US government over a permanent end to the war, and as concerns remain that Israel could launch another attack.
Despite that, a powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months ahead of the funeral. Other senior Iranian government officials are also expected to attend alongside foreign dignitaries in a show of strength.
“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.
“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.
Caskets displayed in Tehran
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin was placed at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside family members who were killed in the Israeli airstrike that came in the opening moments of the war on February 28.
Those 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, who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the attack.
Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries approached Khamenei's casket as a military band played and prayers were recited.
A video published by Iranian state media showed an earlier mourning ceremony on Thursday night. The black-clad mourners, whom state media identified as families of those killed 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 believed to bring blessings.
Later, state media showed images of Khamenei's casket draped with a red flag bearing the white calligraphy "Ya Hussein", a Shiite expression commemorating the seventh-century martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson. The flag had been flown over the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, Iraq, and traditionally symbolises both the blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.
Top general appears publicly after months
Photos published by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting on Thursday about Khamenei's funeral before joining a smaller mourning ceremony near the supreme leader's former home in central Tehran.
Vahidi has become a key figure in shaping Iran's position in negotiations with the US government over a possible permanent end to the war. He had not been seen publicly since February 8, weeks before the conflict began.
Israel killed several senior Iranian military and government leaders during the war and has also threatened Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Vahidi is believed to be among a small group in direct contact with the new supreme leader.
It remains unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei will appear at his father's funeral. His father appeared at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral in 1989, visibly emotional, before assuming leadership of Iran.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to target Mojtaba Khamenei, prompting a warning from Iran's joint military command on Thursday.
“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran, especially the United States, the Israeli regime and their regional and extra-regional accomplices, to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses that the sons of the Iranian nation in the armed forces will give to any threat or aggression against our beloved country,” the military command said.
Funeral to continue for several days
Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold the days-long funeral for Khamenei, and his body will be taken to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace and much of daily life in Tehran during the ceremonies.
Across Tehran, banners featuring the late Khamenei's raised fist have been displayed alongside a giant statue in Enghelab Square. In his first message to the nation, read on state television, Mojtaba Khamenei said he saw his father's body after his death with a raised, clenched fist.
The banners displayed across the capital read in Arabic, English and Farsi: "We must rise".
