Iran Holds Week-Long Multi-City Funeral for Late Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iranian authorities announced a week-long, multi-city funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with ceremonies scheduled in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and Iraq, according to The New York Times. CNN noted that the state funeral was expected to draw millions of mourners and that foreign attendance would be limited. NBC News reported that the 56-year-old supreme leader, severely wounded in the strike that killed his father, would not attend the rites. The IRGC warned against attacks and ordered the closure of Tehran’s airspace as the casket was opened for public viewing, CNN said. Thousands gathered in Tehran to view the casket and later lined the streets for the main funeral procession, AP News and CNN reported. Senior officials and military commanders attended the week-long mourning, while the designated successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was absent, The New York Times noted.
CNN added that three of Khamenei’s sons were present on the second day, but his successor remained missing. Participants chanted anti-U. S. and anti-Israel slogans, and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was among those seen, The New York Times reported. The massive turnout reflected divisions within Iranian society, the outlet said.
