Tehran: The Iranian Embassy in India has criticised sections of the Indian media over reports claiming that 3,000 graves had been prepared for the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling the allegation baseless.
The embassy’s response came after NDTV India aired a report in Hindi citing a July 4 article by German newspaper WELT. In posts shared on X on Monday, July 6, it accused some media outlets of promoting an unverified narrative based on anonymous sources instead of official information.
“Some media outlets seem to be waiting for people to be killed during the funeral procession. When they choose to ignore the sheer scale and significance of the event, they resort to peddling nonsense instead,” the embassy wrote.
In another post, the embassy said no Iranian official had stated that 3,000 graves were prepared and maintained there was no official statement from Iranian authorities supporting the reports.
WELT cites contingency planning
According to WELT, a classified letter from the Iranian Red Crescent and the National Crisis Management Organisation to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref projected between 1,500 and 3,000 possible deaths during the week-long funeral ceremonies in a worst-case scenario.
The newspaper reported that a special unit had been established to handle the dead and missing, while thousands of new graves had been prepared at Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. It also cited a Tehran municipality employee, identified under a pseudonym for security reasons, who claimed colleagues at the city’s crisis headquarters had confirmed the preparations.
The Iranian Embassy did not directly address WELT’s findings but said authorities had spent weeks preparing security and logistical arrangements to ensure the funeral ceremonies were conducted safely and in an orderly manner. It added that millions of mourners had participated without incident and argued that publishing unverified reports based on anonymous sources undermines the credibility of media organisations.
Funeral ceremonies continue
Iran held the first public funeral ceremonies for Khamenei on Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 5, at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayer grounds, attended by millions of mourners and official delegations from more than 100 countries. Funeral processions continued across Tehran on July 6 before moving to Qom, Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei is scheduled to be laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday, July 9.
