Thousands of mourners, senior Iranian officials and foreign dignitaries gathered in Tehran as the state funeral ceremonies
July 3, 2026: The body of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was placed in state in Tehran on Friday as thousands of mourners, senior clerics, government officials and foreign dignitaries gathered to pay their final respects. The state funeral marks the beginning of a week-long series of ceremonies honouring the leader, who ruled the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades. According to Iranian authorities, Khamenei was killed in February during airstrikes carried out amid the conflict involving the United States and Israel.
The coffin, along with those of several family members reportedly killed alongside him, was placed in a prayer hall dedicated to Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The ceremony was attended by Iran’s President, Parliament Speaker, Foreign Minister and delegations from countries including Russia, China, Iraq, Armenia and Pakistan. Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s remains are scheduled to be taken to the holy cities of Qom in Iran and Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before his final burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.
Iranian authorities said the funeral was delayed due to security concerns during the conflict, despite Islamic tradition generally requiring burial within 24 hours. To accommodate large crowds, schools, mosques and sports halls have been converted into temporary accommodation, while transport services have been expanded. Experts said Khamenei’s body was likely preserved through refrigerated cold storage rather than chemical embalming, which is generally prohibited under Islamic law, allowing the funeral ceremonies to proceed after security conditions improved.