Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency

Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28, are set to take place in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, according to a senior municipal official.

Mohammad Amin Tavakkoli-Zadeh, Tehran’s deputy mayor for social and cultural affairs, said authorities were preparing for between 15 million and 20 million participants in the capital, News.Az reports, citing Middle East Monitor.

He said Khamenei would be buried at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad, in accordance with his will and recommendations from those close to him.

Tavakkoli-Zadeh said requests from provinces across Iran to host funeral and memorial ceremonies were continuing and that the events would likely be held at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month in the Islamic calendar.

He added that three days of farewell ceremonies had been planned and that the funeral procession in Tehran would last at least 24 hours.

According to the official, Mashhad is expected to host large numbers of visitors from neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh, as well as the Kashmir region.

Tavakkoli-Zadeh said the funeral would be unprecedented in scale, drawing mourners from across the Muslim world.

Regional tensions escalated in late February after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran that killed more than 3,00 people, including Khamenei and senior military commanders and government officials.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US-linked assets in the Gulf region, while also closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan took effect on April 8, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a permanent settlement. The two sides have since exchanged proposals and counterproposals aimed at resuming direct negotiations and ending the conflict.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli