Iran holds national mourning ceremonies
Tehran: Coffins said to contain the bodies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family have been placed on public display ahead of their funeral.
Iranian and international media show large crowds inside Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque mourning the leader, who the article says was killed during the early stages of the war against the United States and Israel at the end of February, CE Report quotes ANSA.
Authorities, according to AFP, expect 15–20 million people to attend the three-day national tribute in Tehran, which begins tomorrow. Iranian media report that several foreign delegations are already paying their respects.
Images show five coffins, all draped in the Iranian flag. In addition to Khamenei's coffin, those of his son-in-law Mesbah-ol-Hoda Bagheri, his eldest daughter Seyyedeh Boshra Hosseini Khamenei, and his daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel are also displayed. A fifth, much smaller coffin reportedly contains the remains of Khamenei's 14-month-old granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani. A photograph of the child stands beside the coffin.
AFP reports that the mosque's walls are covered with large portraits of Khamenei, who served as Iran's Supreme Leader for three decades, along with black mourning flags and red flags symbolizing martyrdom and revenge.
According to Iranian state television IRIB, some of the first visitors to pay their respects were religious figures from Afghanistan and Indonesia. Footage shared by international media shows mourners in tears, with both ordinary citizens and religious leaders gathered in prayer.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, quoted by Iran International, said that representatives from nearly 100 countries, including official delegations, public figures, and civil groups, would attend the funeral.
He added that official delegations from Eastern Europe were present, while European countries that supported the war against the Islamic Republic had not been invited.
AFP reports that the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque complex will remain open day and night until Monday. A funeral procession carrying Khamenei's body is expected to travel through the streets of Tehran before continuing to the holy city of Qom on Tuesday.
Among those expected to attend are former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. China is expected to be represented by senior parliamentary official He Wei.
Iranian media continue to report on the foreign delegations paying tribute, including religious scholars and intellectuals from Indonesia and Afghanistan, the President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, representatives of the "Resistance Front," and Armenia's Prime Minister.
According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, intellectuals from Malaysia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Tunisia, Senegal, India, several Latin American countries, Argentina, and Mexico are also paying tribute to what the article describes as the "martyred leader of the revolution."
Photo: Wikipedia
