Iran declares national holidays for Ayatollah Khamenei funeral

Iran announced a series of funeral and burial ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, slated for Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. The farewell ceremony will take place over two days at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, with processions planned for July 6 in Tehran, July 7 in Qom, July 8 in Iraq and July 9 in Mashhad, where the burial will follow at the Imam Reza shrine.

The government also decreed three days of public holidays in Tehran from July 4‑6, during which the capital will be “completely closed,” according to ceremony organizer Hasán Hasanzadeh. Foreign officials and religious leaders are expected to be invited. The funerals come after a joint U.S.–Israeli strike that killed the leader and four family members.