Najaf/Tehran: The bodies of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and his family members have been transported from Iran to the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, marking a pivotal stage in the six-day state funeral that has drawn millions of mourners across Iran and Iraq.
Reception at Najaf Airport
Iraq’s Prime Minister, along with senior Iraqi officials and a large gathering of citizens, was present at Najaf International Airport to receive the bodies. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also arrived in Najaf to take part in the funeral proceedings, underscoring the diplomatic and religious significance Tehran has attached to the Iraq leg of the funeral.
In Najaf, the bodies of Ayatollah Khamenei and his family will be taken to the Shrine of Imam Ali, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. From there, the procession will move to the Shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, before the remains are flown back to Iran.
Millions Join Funeral Prayers in Qom
Earlier, on Tuesday morning, funeral prayers for Ayatollah Khamenei and his family were held at Jamkaran Mosque in the Iranian city of Qom. Reports indicate that millions of mourners joined the funeral procession, which stretched for several kilometers through the city. Participants ranged from infants carried in their parents’ arms to elderly citizens, with witnesses describing the atmosphere as deeply emotional.
The Qom ceremony followed similarly massive gatherings in Tehran, where enormous crowds had earlier attended funeral prayers for the late Supreme Leader and his family. International monitoring organizations have estimated that the combined turnout across the funeral prayers and processions has reached into the millions, reflecting the scale of mourning across the Islamic Republic.
Burial Set for July 9 in Mashhad
According to the schedule confirmed by Iranian authorities, Ayatollah Khamenei will be laid to rest on July 9 in the courtyard of the Shrine of Imam Ali al-Ridha in Mashhad — his birthplace and one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in Shia Islam. The Mashhad burial will conclude a funeral process that has spanned Tehran, Qom, Najaf, and Karbala over several days.