Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has called on millions of Iranians to attend the funeral of the country’s slain Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, describing the event as an opportunity to demonstrate national unity and demand vengeance for his death.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Ghalibaf urged citizens to participate in the funeral ceremonies, which begin on Saturday, saying their presence would mark “a glorious page” in Iran’s history.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” he said.
Khamenei, who was regarded as a spiritual leader by many Shia Muslims, was killed at the age of 86 in U.S.-Israeli strikes on his compound in central Tehran on February 28, the first day of the war.
His funeral, which was postponed during the height of the conflict, will take place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire following a preliminary agreement aimed at ending hostilities.
The public funeral will begin at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex, where Khamenei’s body will lie in state alongside the bodies of several slain relatives.
Iranian officials expect between 15 and 20 million mourners to attend the ceremonies, potentially making it the largest state funeral in the country’s history.
Ghalibaf described the occasion as a key event, noting that “Iran… is preparing to experience one of the most significant moments in its history.
To facilitate the ceremonies, authorities have declared public holidays in Tehran and the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, where later stages of the funeral will take place.
Government offices and many private businesses in Tehran will remain closed from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will be enforced across much of the city centre. Authorities have also announced a partial closure of Tehran’s airspace from Friday, with a full closure scheduled for Monday.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be transported to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his birthplace.
It remains unclear whether Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since assuming the role of supreme leader, will attend the main ceremony in Tehran.
Representatives from about 30 countries are expected to participate in the funeral, with thousands of mourners also anticipated from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
