Millions of mourners have assembled in Tehran for the start of a six-day, five-city funeral procession for Iran's former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike in February. The event has become a political spectacle blending grief with calls for revenge against the United States and Israel.
Funeral Procession Underway
The procession began on Sunday after two days of public farewell ceremonies, during which mourners called for the murder of former US President Donald Trump. The coffins of Khamenei and family members also killed in the strikes will travel to Mehrabad International Airport over a 12-hour journey through Tehran.
Guardian correspondent Patrick Wintour, reporting from Tehran, said the funeral prayers 'created a political spectacle at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla that melded grief with calls for revenge.'
National Mourning Disrupts Daily Life
Daily life has ground to a halt since national mourning began on Saturday. Authorities have closed streets and airspace to accommodate the massive crowds. The procession will conclude on Thursday, when Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
Khamenei was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, following his death during the first airstrike when the US and Israel started the current war in the region. Hostilities continue in Lebanon and Palestine as the funeral events unfold.
