A crowd of Iranians gathered on Saturday in the Great Mosalla Square of Imam Khomeini, in Tehran, to pay tribute to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed by Israeli-American strikes at the end of February. The state funeral is scheduled to last three days.

Published on: 04/07/2026 - 01:11 Modified on: 04/07/2026 - 22:52

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The Iranian faithful crowded on Saturday July 4 around the coffin of Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei, surrounded by the Iranian flag and topped with his emblematic black turban. It is on display at the Great Mosalla of Imam Khomeini in Tehran, a religious and political site in the Iranian capital.

Mostly dressed in black, supporters flocked there from dawn on Saturday, even before state television announced around 6 a.m. (2:30 a.m. GMT) the start of the public tribute.

Many participants brandished red Shiite flags with the inscription “Martyr”, according to an AFP journalist. Other red banners called for “revenge” and “#KillTrump” as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Iranian authorities have said they expect between 15 and 20 million people in Tehran alone for this funeral, which is to take place over six days.

In the midst of negotiations between the United States and Iran - after their signing last month of a framework agreement to end the conflict - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the population on Saturday to participate massively in the ceremonies, to "show the world the greatness of Iran and the glory of national unity and authority".

The authorities have also declared Sunday and Monday public holidays throughout Iran, to facilitate the arrival of the faithful.

On Sunday, a prayer will be said in the morning for the deceased, they indicated, without specifying whether it would be led by religious dignitaries or members of his family.

His son and also Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded him in early March, has until now never appeared in public. Wounded in the strikes that killed his father, the leader only speaks through press releases attributed to him.

Also read: Khamenei after Khamenei: Iran chooses continuity in the face of Trump

“Today I came to say a last goodbye”

A university professor, Reza says he came "because we promised the Supreme Guide to stay with him until the end." “Everyone is there for him. We have long shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the Guide but it is he who sacrificed himself for us,” this 37-year-old man told AFP.

Killed at the age of 86, Ali Khamenei presided over the destiny of Iran for more than three decades.

“I never had the chance to see the Supreme Guide up close and I regret it. Today I came to say a final goodbye,” says Javad Akbari, 43, an employee in a food factory.

“The assassination of our leader does not mean our defeat. We will take revenge,” says Seyyed Mohammad, a 27-year-old Shiite cleric.

Several hundred people took their place on Friday evening in front of the Grande Mosalla, some in tears.

Before the ceremonies began, however, Tehran was quieter than usual, with many streets emptied of the capital's famous traffic. Some residents told AFP in Paris that they had decided to leave the city for the duration of the funeral.

Foreign representatives present

Ali Khamenei's coffin will be on display until Sunday evening in the Grande Mosalla grounds, before a procession on Monday through the streets of the capital.

Before the public, several senior Iranian officials and some foreign dignitaries paid a final tribute on Friday in the Great Mosalla to the Supreme Leader who embodied the confrontation with the United States and Israel.

Coming for the occasion, representatives of Hezbollah and Hamas, Lebanese and Palestinian armed Islamist movements supported by Tehran, met on Saturday with the head of diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, one of the Iranian state media reported.

To welcome Iranians from all over the country, more than 400 Red Crescent tents were erected in a large park in the capital, AFP noted. Water tankers were deployed to cool the crowds in temperatures exceeding 35°C.

Alongside Ali Khamenei's coffin are those of his relatives killed with him on the first day of the war: one of his daughters, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter, aged 14 months according to the authorities.

With AFP

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