TEHRAN, July 5, 2026 – An estimated 3.5 million mourners swarmed Tehran’s Azadi Square and surrounding boulevards on Sunday, as Iran began three days of state funeral rites for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 87-year-old cleric was killed 72 hours ago in the opening salvo of coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that targeted military and leadership compounds across the country, plunging the Middle East into its most volatile crisis in decades.
The massive turnout, which paralyzed the capital’s transportation network, marks a seismic shift in Iran’s political landscape. Khamenei, who ruled for 37 years, was killed on July 2 when a precision bunker-buster struck a command center in northern Tehran, according to U.S. defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attack, part of a broader campaign to degrade Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, also destroyed two Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and three uranium enrichment facilities.
Mourners, many draped in black chadors and waving portraits of Khamenei, chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as the plain wooden casket, covered in the Iranian flag, was paraded on a military truck. State television showed women beating their chests and men weeping openly, a display of grief that experts say underscores the deep loyalty Khamenei commanded—even as his regime faced unprecedented domestic protests over the past three years.
“This is not just a funeral; it is a declaration of resistance,” said Tehran-based political analyst Reza Mohammadi. “The supreme leader’s death has unified a fractured nation, at least temporarily, against a common enemy.” The crowds, which police estimate exceeded 2.5 million by late afternoon, stretched for miles, with many traveling from distant provinces.
The succession process is now in motion. Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts is expected to convene within 48 hours to name a replacement, with hardline President Saeed Jalili and Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, emerging as frontrunners. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Israel have placed their forces on high alert, warning of potential retaliatory missile strikes or cyberattacks. The funeral procession will conclude with burial at the Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini, where Khamenei will be interred next to his predecessor—a final symbol of the Islamic Republic’s enduring, yet uncertain, future.