Thousands gather in Iran as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin
Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on February 28
Vast crowds of Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic massed in Tehran on Saturday to begin almost a week of funeral ceremonies for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which authorities hope will send a message of defiance to the West after the war with the United States and Israel.
Clad in black and waving blood-red flags seen as a call for vengeance and justice under Shia Islam, mourners thronged the Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital.
Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989 and pursued a course of confrontation with the West while crushing dissent at home, was killed at 86 along with several members of his family and top officials in an Israeli strike on the first day of the war on February 28.
There was still no sign of Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been unseen in public since being named. Other top Iranian officials who survived the war welcomed foreign dignitaries who paid their respects at the coffin on Friday before the complex opened to the public.
Sprayed with mists of water to keep cool in temperatures that may nudge 40C in Tehran over the next days, thousands of women and men – strictly segregated by gender – filled the vast complex.
The coffins of Khamenei and four other family members rested at the front on a dais.
Chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” echoed at the venue.