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[POLITICS] · Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Russia · 100 sources

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Iran holds massive funeral for slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed in a U.S.–Israeli air strike on 28 February 2026, triggering the opening phase of the Iran‑U.S. conflict. A six‑day state funeral began on 4 July at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, where government officials, security forces and foreign delegations gathered. Estimates of attendance range from several hundred thousand to up to 20 million across Iran and Iraq. Mourners repeatedly chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Three of Khamenei’s sons – Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa – prayed beside the coffin; his designated successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, did not appear publicly.

Security was heightened with tens of thousands of police and military personnel, border monitoring, and a temporary closure of Tehran’s airspace. Delegations from roughly thirty countries, including China, India, Pakistan, Russia and Iraq, attended the ceremonies, while no Western nations were observed. The coffin will travel to Qom, then to Shia holy sites in Najaf and Karbala, before burial on 9 July at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

The funeral’s anti‑U.S. rhetoric has delayed ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States, and U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the “staged” Iranian mourning. The event underscores the domestic consolidation of power in Iran and the broader geopolitical tension in the region.

Sources

2 months ago
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's emotional funeral [english.gossiplankanews.com]
2 months ago