The funeral procession carrying the coffin of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began its journey through the streets of Tehran this morning, a final public tribute to Iran’s late supreme leader, according to footage broadcast on Iranian state television.

“We ask citizens to gather peacefully at Azadi Square,” where the coffin will end its journey, said General Hassan Hasanzadeh, as Iranian authorities fear deadly stampedes, such as the one that occurred in 1989 at the funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

After lying in state for two days at the Grand Mosalla, a massive religious complex in Tehran, Khamenei’s coffin will be carried through the streets of the Iranian capital, with authorities expecting millions of people to come out to see it.

The caskets of Ayatollah Khamenei and his family passing through Tehran as people say goodbye pic.twitter.com/ntKyaeYaig

— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) July 6, 2026

The procession is expected to last 10 to 12 hours and pass through the iconic Enghelab (Revolution) Street and Azadi (Freedom) Square. Authorities have not specified whether the crowd accompanying the coffin will be able to get close to it.

See photos

According to photos released this morning by AFP, hundreds of people—many of them dressed in black—have flocked to the streets of Tehran. Some are holding Iranian flags or portraits of Khamenei. One person is holding a banner that reads “Down with the U.S.,” and another is holding a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump with a target on it.

On June 6, 1989, the frenzied crowd attacked the funeral procession of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, tearing his shroud and causing his body to fall to the ground. Eventually, Khomeini’s body was transported by helicopter to be buried in a cemetery near Tehran, after a delay of several hours.

As reported by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, at that time approximately 10 million people had taken to the streets to view the coffin, while more than ten were killed and over 10,000 were injured in stampedes.

Millions are in the streets of Tehran for Khamenei’s funeral procession

Advertisement

. The Islamic Republic is calling it unprecedented—larger than the 1989 funeral of Khomeini.

And the new supreme leader has still not been seen in public since the attack that killed his father.

The… pic.twitter.com/m16LNwBLTM

Advertisement

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 6, 2026

Public Holiday

The funeral ceremonies in memory of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, officially began on Saturday.

For two days, crowds of Iranians flocked to the Grand Mosalla Mosque to view the coffin of the country’s late leader, draped in the colors of the Iranian flag.

Men and women, most dressed in black and sometimes accompanied by children, paid their final respects—despite the heat and often with tears in their eyes— to the man who led Iran for more than three decades, until his death at the age of 86.

A sea of mourners surrounds the convoy carrying the coffins of the martyred Leader and his family members as it passes through Tehran.

Follow: https://t.co/1ymjeeywxb pic.twitter.com/tYyy4RvtgR

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) July 6, 2026

Some held banners with slogans against Israel and the U.S., while one read: “Tell the world that revenge is inevitable.”

Next to Khamenei’s coffin were those of his relatives who were killed in the same attack: a daughter, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter just 14 months old.

Iranian state television aired footage of Ali Khamenei’s three sons — Mustafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei — praying beside the coffins, along with many high-ranking Iranian officials, but not Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father.

Three sons of former Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei (Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud) were seen praying beside his coffin. The new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, did not make an appearance. pic.twitter.com/sfy2Q4O2Pm

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 5, 2026

The 56-year-old Mojtaba was injured in the attack that killed his father, and since taking over the position in late March, he has not made any public appearances.

Yesterday and today have been declared public holidays throughout Iran so that those who wish to do so can travel to Tehran to pay their respects to Ali Khamenei. Authorities estimate that a total of 15 to 20 million people are expected to attend.

After Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to Qom and then, on Wednesday, to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, where the majority of residents are Shiites. He will be buried on July 9 in the holy city and his birthplace, Mashhad.

Source: Proto Thema