Intensive preparations and security measures took place on Friday for late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s massive funeral, as foreign officials and delegations began arriving in the country from dozens of nations to pay their respects.
The heightened security measures, including airspace restrictions and mass deployment of security forces, began this week and extended into Friday.
The event is being described as a "multi-city" funeral that will span several parts of Iran, including Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad.
According to authorities, more than 10 million citizens are expected to gather in Tehran alone, with millions more expected to take part in ceremonies in the cities of Mashhad and Qom.
Large-scale commemorations and ceremonies are also set to take place in Iraq, where the late Iranian leader was also revered. Tehran has coordinated these matters with authorities in Baghdad.
The late supreme leader’s coffin arrived at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran on Friday.
Several Iranian officials were seen paying respects to the assassinated leader, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Footage also showed Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reciting a prayer in front of Khamenei’s coffin along with members of his delegation.
Delegations representing Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Amal Movement and the Iraqi resistance faction Kataib Hezbollah were also present.
Representatives from over 100 nations are expected to attend and have begun arriving, including from Turkiye, India, Russia, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Ceremonies will continue on Saturday and Sunday with the body lying in state at the Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday. Further rites are scheduled in the holy city of Qom, followed by ceremonies in Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf in Iraq," IRNA reported.
Public farewell ceremonies will officially begin on July 4 at 6:00 am. The late supreme leader is set to be buried in the city of Mashhad on July 9.
The night before the preparations kicked off on Friday, the Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, was seen paying respects to Khamenei’s coffin in images released by Iranian media on Thursday evening. General Vahidi had not been seen in months.
An Iranian military official warned the US and Israel on Thursday that any attack on the funeral or during its preparations will be met with a severe response.
"We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the US and the Zionist regime, to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country," said Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
In February 2025, a squadron of Israeli fighter jets flew over the funeral of late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah – who was assassinated by Tel Aviv in a brutal attack on Beirut in September 2024.
Khamenei was assassinated by the US and Israel on February 28 – the first day of the latest war on Iran.
Several members of his family were killed in the attack, including his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandchild. His son Mojtaba, who was injured in that attack, has succeeded him as supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei had refused to leave his residence despite warnings about a plot to kill him, telling his security team that he would only permit being moved to a safer location if the same could be done for 90 million Iranians.
Similarly, Nasrallah had also refused to leave Beirut despite warnings prior to his assassination.