Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral has taken months to plan. AFP
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral has taken months to plan. AFP
Iranian supreme leader was killed in Israeli air strike at onset of the war in February
The National
June 17, 2026
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral ceremonies are scheduled across several Iranian cities between July 4 and 9, culminating in burial in Mashhad.
The funeral route includes a stop in Iraq, with two Iraqi politicians confirming visits to the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.
The late supreme leader's son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen publicly since his appointment in March, making the funeral significant for his potential appearance.
Up to 20 million mourners are expected to attend the Tehran procession alone, with international attendees travelling from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.
Tehran's deputy mayor for social and cultural affairs said local authorities "along the procession route should prepare for large numbers of spectators."
The funeral of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will take place in July with ceremonies across the country and a stop in Iraq, it has been revealed.
Mr Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989, was killed in an air strike in February on the day the US and Israel began their war against the country.
While some Iranian commanders assassinated during the war have already been buried, the ceremonies for Mr Khamenei are expected to be enormous and have taken longer to prepare. The last funeral of an Iranian supreme leader, that of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, was a chaotic affair attended by millions.
This year's funeral will be eagerly watched for any sign of new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei , who was elected his father's successor in March but has not been seen in public since.
As leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, the late Ayatollah Khamenei held religious as well as political authority for Shiite Muslims in Iran. He also had many supporters in Iraq , where the presence of pro-Iran militants drew the country into the crossfire of the war.
Here is what we know about the arrangements:
Funeral timetable
Details have been announced by a Commemoration Committee for the Bloody Ascension of the Martyred Militant Imam.
It said “public farewell ceremonies” will take place on July 4 and 5 at a mosque in Tehran, the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. A funeral procession is scheduled for Tehran on July 6, followed by a second procession in the religiously significant city of Qom on July 7.
The final ritual will take place on July 9 in Mashhad, where Mr Khamenei is expected to be buried. The city's Imam Reza Shrine is the burial place of Shiite Islam's eighth imam. It is also where former president Ebrahim Raisi was buried after his death in a helicopter crash in 2024.
Vast crowds attended Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral ceremony in 1989. AFP Info
Iraqi stop
The schedule leaves a day blank that may be filled by a stop in Iraq.
Tehran's Mayor Alireza Zakani told local media that after the ceremonies in Qom, “the body will go to Iraq” before returning to Iran. Officials have not yet specified the city or timing of the visit.
Two Iraqi politicians have said the body will be brought to the cities of Karbala and Najaf, where there are shrines of revered Shiite imams.
Millions expected
The organising committee said an “unparalleled display of public participation” is expected for the funeral.
Tehran's deputy mayor for social and cultural affairs, Mohammad Amin Tavakolizadeh, said earlier this month that the procession in Tehran is expected to last at least 24 hours, with preparations under way to host up to 20 million people. Iran's population is about 90 million.
Mourners from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh are expected to join the ceremonies in Mashhad. Mr Tavakolizadeh said local authorities along the procession route should prepare for large numbers of spectators.
Updated:
June 17, 2026, 5:36 PM
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