“The body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution has arrived at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla,” the IRNA news agency wrote on Telegram, using the complex’s official name.
The coffins of Khamenei and his family member are displayed on the day international delegates participate in a farewell ceremony for Khamenei, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran
Preparations for the funeral of Khamenei – along with those of family members who were with him at the time of the US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 – were in full swing on Friday, with authorities expecting millions and a coterie of foreign dignitaries to attend the official ceremony.
He Wei, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are expected to attend the funeral on Saturday.
Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Thursday for a massive turnout at the event as a way to avenge the supreme leader’s killing in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, who is also the speaker in Iran’s parliament.
Khamenei’s funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, will take place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital.
He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei.
The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 million and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country’s history.
Ghalibaf called it “one of the most significant moments” in Iran’s history.
Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies, will observe public holidays while the events are underway.
Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.
The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace. (AFP)
