The funeral of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, former Iran's supreme leader who was killed by the US-Israeli offensive on February 28, which started the still ongoing war in Iran, is taking place over the next seven days across Iran and Iraq, a massive ceremony where millions of people are expected to attend.
Ali Khamenei rose to power in 1989, succeeding the previous Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the one that led the Islamic revolution in 1979, ending the previous Pahlavi monarchy. Khamenei died aged 86, alongside several family members, by air strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen shortly after as new Ayatollah, Mojtaba won't be attending any of the ceremonies over security concerns.
The seven-day funeral will begin in Tehran today, July 3, with global leaders, senior officials, religious figures, and scholars, and will move to different cities in Iran and Iraq with mass processions. The last time Iran held a funeral for the supreme leader, during two days in June 1989, an estimated 10 million people attended, one sixth of the population of the country.
The burial was postponed from March to July because of the war with United States and Israel. A temporary ceasefire remains in place, but the situation is tense as negotiations continue regarding the governance of the Strait of Hormuz (partially open), Iran's nuclear programmes and rights to still maintain ballistic missiles.
