Iran on Saturday began state funeral ceremonies for its late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with thousands of mourners gathering in Tehran to pay their final respects more than four months after he was killed during the Iran-Israel war.
Khamenei, who led Iran for 37 years, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike on 28th of February alongside several members of his family.
His funeral was delayed because of the conflict before the government announced a weeklong series of ceremonies across Iran and Iraq.
His body was placed in a glass casket at Tehran's Grand Mosalla as mourners waved Iranian flags, carried portraits of the late leader and chanted slogans in his honor.
Officials expect millions of people to participate before his burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad near the Imam Reza shrine.
Iran's government described the ceremonies as "a farewell worthy of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution," saying they would reflect "the unity, dignity and resilience of the Iranian nation."
The funeral has attracted delegations from more than 100 countries, including senior officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iraq and other regional allies.
Representatives of Hezbollah and other groups aligned with Tehran are also expected to attend.
The ceremonies come at a sensitive time for Iran, which is still recovering from months of war, economic pressure and political tensions.
Khamenei's son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly because he is recovering from injuries suffered in the same airstrike, according to Iranian officials.
Authorities have tightened security across Tehran and other cities hosting the funeral processions.
The events are expected to continue for several days before Khamenei is laid to rest in Mashhad, ending one of the most significant state funerals in Iran since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
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