Ayatollah Khamenei's Coffin Arrives In Tehran Ahead Of Multi-Day Funeral Ceremonies

Last Updated:July 03, 2026, 04:37 IST

The farewell ceremony will be held near the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran, close to where Khamenei died.

The coffin carrying the body of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived at the venue of the farewell ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, marking the start of the country’s final rites for the leader who ruled Iran for more than three decades.

State media said the coffin was brought to the site of his martyrdom in an unannounced event before the public ceremonies.

The farewell ceremony will be held near the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran, close to where Khamenei died. The ceremony is scheduled to begin on Friday night and continue for three to four days.

Families of those killed in the war attended the arrival of the coffin, along with senior Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi.

Khamenei was killed in airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel on February 28, which marked the first day of the war. The body of the Supreme Leader was kept in cold storage for the last 124 days.

Also Read: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba May Skip Father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral. Here’s Why

Iran Warns US, Israel Against Fresh Attacks

As preparations for the funeral continued, an Iranian military commander warned the United States and Israel against launching any fresh attacks as the country prepared for the state funeral of the Supreme Leader.

“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country," Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.

Mojtaba Khamenei Unlikely To Attend

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, is unlikely to appear publicly during the funeral ceremonies because of security concerns, according to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the Supreme Leader’s Representative in India.

“I was in Iran last week and met some of my friends who met him. They said he wants to come out. He wants to meet people. But the security doesn’t allow him to come," Elahi told India Today.

“They said ‘it is very dangerous and we cannot provide security for him’. I think he will not come out," he added.

Also Read: Congress Leader Salman Khurshid To Attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral In Iran

Preparations Underway For Week-Long Funeral

Iran has planned a series of mass processions beginning in Tehran before continuing in Qom, Iraq’s shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala, as part of Khamenei’s funeral ceremony.

State media quoted Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi as saying: “The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic."

Authorities have prepared schools, mosques and sports halls to accommodate mourners, while hotels are offering discounted accommodation.

Bus and rail services have been diverted to facilitate travel for the funeral events, and temporary airspace restrictions have been imposed over Tehran and other cities as security is tightened for the ceremonies.

The funeral ceremonies will begin on Saturday, when Khamenei’s remains will be taken to a mosque in Tehran for the first leg of a national funerary tour.

The bodies of his daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and the widow of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who were killed in the same strike, will accompany the procession.

Following a public procession in central Tehran on Monday, the remains will be taken to the holy city of Qom for ceremonies on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, memorial events are scheduled in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala, with attendees expected from Iran’s regional network of Shi’ite groups.

Khamenei will be laid to rest on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad, near the shrine of Imam Reza, after a final funeral procession.

According to Bloomberg, top Chinese and Russian officials are heading to Tehran for the funeral ceremony. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and regional leaders will also attend the high-security ceremonies starting Saturday.

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Prisha Vibhavari

Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st...Read More

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