Tens of thousands of black-clad mourners packed the courtyard of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Saturday, July 5, 2026, as Iran began six days of funeral rites for its slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 85-year-old cleric was killed in late February during coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that triggered a broader regional conflict. His body now lies in state alongside the remains of family members who also died in the strikes, with Iranian authorities expecting 15 to 20 million attendees across ceremonies in Iran and Iraq.
The emotional outpouring on the first day was raw and politically charged. Mourners, many waving black flags and beating their chests, chanted anti-American slogans and called for vengeance. “We came because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end,” Reza, a 37-year-old professor, told AFP from the Grand Mosalla’s vast courtyard. “For a long time, we shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us.” Another mourner, Arash Rahimi, 40, told Reuters: “Everyone here has come to avenge the blood of their supreme leader. We have a blood feud with the United States. Our relations will never be good.”
The funeral comes as the region remains on edge. U.S. President Donald Trump, who ordered the February strikes, said Friday that Iran’s government was “dying to settle” a peace deal after a preliminary agreement was reached. He added, “We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice.” But on the streets of Tehran, there was little sign of reconciliation. Much of central Tehran is locked down as security forces brace for the largest funeral procession in modern Iranian history, measured by attendance as a share of the population.
Khamenei’s body will remain at the Grand Mosalla for three days before being moved to the Shia holy city of Qom on Tuesday, where a senior cleric will lead additional ceremonies. The final burial is scheduled for next Thursday in Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad. The six-day event is expected to dwarf previous state funerals, with millions streaming in from across the country and neighboring Iraq. For now, the ayatollah’s death—and the war it ignited—continues to define Iran’s path forward.