The body of the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the martyr Sayyid Ali Khamenei, has arrived at the Imam Khomeini Grand Musalla (prayer hall) in the capital, Tehran. This comes in preparation for the launch of the official and popular funeral ceremonies scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, which will continue for six consecutive days.
The official news agency IRNA reported that the coffin, covered with the Iranian flag, was placed in the Grand Musalla, which is considered the most prominent site designated for official ceremonies in the country. Massive crowds dressed in black flocked to pay their final respects and show loyalty to the body, as well as to participate in offering condolences over the passing of the international leader.
In the same context, Iranian television highlighted the arrival of cultural activists from Spain, Ecuador, and Bolivia who came to pay their final respects and show reverence to the soul of the late great leader.
Millions of people are expected to participate in the official funeral ceremonies on Saturday. This coincides with a call made by the Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in which he urged "all segments of the Iranian people to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through intense on-the-ground presence." Ghalibaf emphasized that "the nation's call for revenge must echo in the ears of the entire world," describing the funeral as "one of the most critical moments" in the country's history.
International presidential and parliamentary delegations, alongside leaders of the Resistance Front, continue to arrive in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to participate in the farewell and funeral ceremonies of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, amid expectations of participation from representatives of around 100 countries.
Pakistan—which plays the role of the primary mediator in Iranian-American talks—announced the participation of its Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. Meanwhile, China, Afghanistan, and Iran's neighbors in the Caucasus region confirmed sending official delegations to represent them, at a time when individuals from neighboring Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are arriving to take part in the ceremonies.
As part of the arriving official delegations, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Heibat Al-Halbousi, headed to the Iranian capital, Tehran, to participate in the ceremonies. The Tajik President, Emomali Rahmon, also arrived in Tehran to pay his respects to the body of the martyred leader. In the same context, the Speaker of the Uzbek Parliament, Nurdinjon Ismoilov, arrived in the Iranian capital at the head of an accompanying parliamentary delegation to attend the official ceremonies.
A group of figures and leaders from the Resistance Front also participated, with the attendees led by a delegation from the Iraqi Islamic Resistance movement "Kata'ib Hezbollah," a delegation from the Iraqi "Al-Nujaba Movement," alongside a delegation from the Lebanese "Amal Movement," which paid its respects and offered condolences to the martyred leader of the Revolution.
Regarding the details of the ceremonies, which will cover various regions in Iran and stops in neighboring Iraq, official estimates indicate that they will attract between 15 and 20 million mourners, making it the largest official funeral in the country's history.
Accordingly, authorities have declared an official holiday and a complete closure of public and private offices in Tehran from Saturday until Monday. The holy cities of Qom and Mashhad will witness similar holidays during their hosting of the ceremonies later. Furthermore, traffic restrictions will make a large part of the city center inaccessible to private cars, coinciding with a partial closure of the airspace starting Friday, which will turn into a complete closure on Monday.
According to the official timeline, after the conclusion of the farewell ceremonies in the capital, Tehran, the body of Sayyed Khamenei will be transferred to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, before being returned to his birthplace to be laid to rest on July 9th at the shrine of Imam Reza in the holy city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran.
It is worth noting that the leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic in Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was martyred at his workplace in the "House of Leadership" while performing his duties, following an American-Israeli aggression that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, February 28th.
