Millions of mourners poured into Tehran on Saturday as Iran opened the first day of a days-long state funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, nearly four months after he was killed in an airstrike at the start of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28. The vast crowds, gathered under the summer heat at the Grand Mosalla, turned the farewell into both a public act of mourning and a show of strength for Iran's leadership at a delicate moment in its standoff with Israel and the United States.
Iran on Saturday began a days-long state funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drawing huge crowds onto the streets of Tehran in scenes that recalled the burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
Mourners gathered from early morning at the Grand Mosalla, the vast religious complex in the capital where Khamenei's casket was displayed in a glass case. Many wept openly, while others carried banners and flags bearing his image. Across Tehran, billboards showed portraits of the 86-year-old cleric, who led the Islamic Republic for decades before being killed in a February 28 airstrike.
As temperatures rose, organisers sprayed water over sections of the crowd and handed out cold drinks to those waiting for a final glimpse of the late leader. Men dressed in black beat their chests in rhythm, a traditional expression of grief at Shiite mourning ceremonies, while chants calling for revenge rang out from parts of the crowd.
Khamenei's coffin was placed on an outdoor stage at the Grand Mosalla, arranged to resemble the platform from which he had often addressed supporters at a husseiniyah inside his Tehran compound. That site was destroyed in the strike that killed him and several members of his family at the start of the war.
The caskets of relatives killed alongside him were placed below Khamenei's coffin. His black turban rested on top of the casket, signifying his status as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
The turnout offered Iran's government a major moment of public mobilisation after months of war and uncertainty. It also came as Tehran seeks to strengthen its position in negotiations with Washington over a lasting end to the conflict, while fears remain that Israel could launch further attacks.
Iranian authorities have framed the funeral as a moment of national unity and resistance, urging people to take part in large numbers.
(with PTI inputs)
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