THE APEX TIMES
Iranian authorities say Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body will lie in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla from Friday, ahead of days of funeral processions and a burial in Mashhad next Thursday, with major closures and traffic restrictions expected in the capital.
Iran has begun several days of public mourning for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with his body scheduled to lie in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla from Friday as the country prepares for funeral events expected to draw very large crowds. The state ceremonies come more than four months after Iran’s leadership announced that Khamenei was killed in strikes launched by the United States and Israel in February, according to multiple international reports.
BBC World reported that Khamenei’s body will be displayed at the Grand Mosalla in central Tehran starting Friday, where the ceremonies are set to unfold over several days before burial arrangements move to his hometown of Mashhad. The BBC description said the mourning and funeral process include formal public events, with additional ceremonies planned before burial later next week.
Other reporting cited by Yahoo News and AFP said the mourning period includes three days at the Grand Mosalla, where the remains of Khamenei’s family members who were also killed in the February strikes will be presented alongside his body. The reporting also said officials expect attendance could reach as high as 20 million people nationwide, reflecting the scale authorities are planning for during a period of heightened security.
Preparations for the ceremonies include major government orders affecting daily life in Tehran. Yahoo News reported that Iranian authorities ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions would shut down most of the city center to private vehicles. It also said that airspace over Tehran would be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday, measures intended to manage movement and reduce security risks during large gatherings.
Le Monde, citing officials and describing preparations in late June, reported that the funeral initially faced delays during the peak of fighting but is now scheduled to proceed amid a broader effort to reduce tensions. That reporting said the ceremonies are expected to attract between 15 and 20 million mourners and described heavy police presence and venue preparations at the Grand Mosalla, including work on the physical setup for the staged public display.
The funeral timetable also extends beyond Tehran. After the ceremonies in the capital, reporting said Khamenei’s body will be taken to Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before burial in Mashhad next Thursday, with officials also indicating that representatives from multiple countries are expected to attend the events.
The planning and closures underscore the logistical and public-safety challenges of hosting mass religious and state ceremonies in a major city. Iranian and international attention is also focused on the broader security environment, with reporting indicating the funeral is taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt their conflict in June.
Iran’s succession of its top religious and political authority has been the subject of reporting in recent months, but the immediate focus of the current stage is the public mourning process and its impact on services, transportation, and public order. Authorities have indicated that the coming days will include extensive restrictions around the Grand Mosalla area and across parts of Tehran as the state ceremony proceeds.
