Iran concluded the second day of funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday, July 5, as several media outlets reported that cumulative attendance at the state funeral events had crossed 10 million since Friday, July 3. The figure has not been independently verified or officially confirmed by Iranian authorities.
Funeral prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla have concluded after being led by senior Shia cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani. Khamenei’s casket will continue its journey ahead of Monday’s, June 6, funeral procession through the capital.
Meanwhile, German newspaper WELT, citing a classified document and municipal sources, reported that Iranian authorities are preparing for between 1,500 and 3,000 deaths linked to the recent conflict.
Saturday, July 4, marked the start of the public farewell, with tens of thousands of mourners gathering at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla to pay their final respects. Foreign delegations from more than 100 countries also attended, while millions are expected to participate throughout the multi-day mourning period.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, the funeral will continue in Qom, Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala before Khamenei is laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad on Thursday, July 9.
Udates here
Remaining schedule of Khamenei’s six-day funeral proceedings
12:46 am IST:
July 6: The largest turnout is expected as the main funeral procession begins at 6 am local time (8 am IST) in Tehran. The procession, including funeral prayers, will cover approximately 10 kilometres from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Square.
July 7: Special prayers will be held at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, one of Iran’s holiest cities, located about 150 kilometres south of Tehran. A funeral procession may also take place there, subject to local arrangements.
July 8: Khamenei’s body is scheduled to be flown to Najaf in Iraq, where an official reception will be attended by the Iraqi prime minister, senior government officials and religious leaders. The cortege will then proceed to the Imam Ali Shrine before the body is transported by helicopter to the Shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala. It is expected to return to Iran later the same day.
July 9: The burial is scheduled to take place at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam and Khamenei’s birthplace.
Mourners pledge allegiance in final farewell
12:38 am IST: As the farewell ceremony in Tehran drew to a close, mourners gathered for a final pledge of allegiance to the Khamenei.
Footage shared by Iran’s Fars News Agency showed participants taking part in the closing ceremony, which the agency described as a public pledge of allegiance during the final moments of the farewell.
Social media videos raise questions over food served
12:25 am IST: Videos circulating on social media appeared to show some Iranian officials, including Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, being served meals from a well-known Tehran restaurant during Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral, while other attendees were reportedly given simpler food items such as boiled eggs.
Tehran deploys free transport for mourners
11:56 pm IST: Authorities have expanded public transport services to facilitate the movement of mourners attending the funeral ceremonies.
According to the Tehran Governor, the city’s metro will operate 24 hours a day and remain free of charge during the funeral period. Around 4,000 buses have also been deployed for transport within the capital, while approximately 12,000 vehicles have been arranged to carry pilgrims travelling from provinces across Iran to Tehran.
Iran Air adds special flights for funeral processions
11:48 pm IST: Iran Air will operate additional flights to the holy cities of Mashhad and Najaf to accommodate mourners travelling for the remaining funeral ceremonies of the Khamenei.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the airline will operate two daily flights on the Tehran–Mashhad route from Monday, July 6, until the end of the week. Wide-body aircraft with a capacity of around 260 passengers will be deployed to meet the expected surge in demand.
The additional services come as funeral rites continue beyond Tehran, with ceremonies scheduled in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before Khamenei’s final burial in Mashhad.
Watch: Prayer hall illuminated as mourners bid final farewell
11:18 pm IST:
Mourners remain at Tehran prayer grounds
11 pm IST: Hours after the official funeral ceremony concluded, large numbers of mourners remained at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, according to videos circulating on social media and local reports.
Footage shared late on Sunday appeared to show the prayer grounds still packed with people more than 12 hours after the main funeral ceremony ended, with many continuing to pay their respects before the procession moves to Iraq for the next stage of the funeral rites.
Tehran announces July 6 funeral route
10:35 pm IST: Tehran Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said the funeral procession for Khamenei will begin at 6 am local time (8 am IST) on Monday, July 6.
According to ISNA, the main procession will follow a route from Damavand Street to Azadi Square. Authorities have urged mourners to use public transport due to expected traffic restrictions and the large number of people expected to attend.
Iraqi provinces declare July 8 holiday
10:12 pm IST: Ten Iraqi provinces have declared Wednesday, July 8, a public holiday ahead of funeral ceremonies for Khamenei in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
The provinces announced the holiday to facilitate preparations and allow people to participate in the ceremonies, which are expected to draw large crowds, the Tasnim News Agency reported.
Farewell ceremony extended
10:08 pm IST: Iranian authorities have extended the farewell ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla until 10 pm local time (12 am IST), two hours later than the originally scheduled 8 pm (10 pm IST) closing time.
According to Tasnim News, the extension was announced due to the large crowds that continued to gather at the prayer grounds throughout the day.
IRGC warns against ‘enemy miscalculation’
8:59 pm IST: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any “enemy miscalculation” would be met with a “crushing and decisive response”, following recent remarks by US President Donald Trump about the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
According to Tasnim News, IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini said, “If the enemies make a mistake, they will certainly face a crushing and decisive response from the Iranian Armed Forces.”
He added that Iran had used the ceasefire period to strengthen its military preparedness, saying, “We have repeatedly announced that we are using the ceasefire opportunity to enhance our combat capabilities and have not wasted a single moment nor been negligent.”
Mehbooba Mufti departs Tehran
4:04 pm IST: Jammu and Kashmir politician Mehbooba Mufti said she was leaving Tehran with her thoughts “with its brave leadership and resilient people” following the funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In a post on X, she thanked the Iranian government for its hospitality, saying, “We will always stand with you. Deepest gratitude to the Iranian government for being such gracious and warm hosts. It’s been an honour to be here.”
Iran security council urges resistance
2:30 pm IST: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said mourners bidding farewell to Ali Khamenei were chanting slogans of “resistance against the enemies” and “vengeance for the blood of Iran’s martyred leader”.
In a statement shared by Iranian media, the council said, “Keep your eyes on Iran these next few days; this is the very Iran you thought you could bring to its knees in a matter of days.”
Iran embassy in Armenia hits back at Trump’s funeral remarks
1:14 pm IST: Iran’s embassy in Armenia responded sharply to US President Donald Trump’s remarks about the funeral of Ali Khamenei.
In a post on X, the embassy said, “People can be killed, but ideals cannot. You killed Ayatollah Khamenei, but in reality, you broke a perfume bottle whose scent spread everyplace. You don’t understand these things because you have neither civilization, nor history, nor honor.”
Salman Khurshid pays tribute to Khamenei
1:11 pm IST: Former Indian external affairs and law minister Salman Khurshid paid tribute to the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, describing him as a symbol of the centuries-old civilisational ties between India and Iran.
In a post shared by the Embassy of Iran in India on X, Khurshid said, “Periodically somebody surfaces who dedicates best parts of their life to civilizational link between India & Iran; and Ayatollah Khamenei actually personified that relationship which goes back for centuries.”
Former Shin Bet official says funeral reflects Iran’s mobilisation power
12:40 pm IST: A former official of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said the scale of Ali Khamenei’s funeral demonstrated the Iranian state’s ability to mobilise large crowds.
According to remarks shared by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the former official said the turnout showed that “control of the streets remains in the hands of Iran’s regime”, adding that the gathering reflected the country’s organisational strength. He also reportedly said US President Donald Trump “doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
Trump says he was surprised by scale of mourning
12:26 pm IST: In an interview with Axios on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he was surprised by the scale of public mourning following Ali Khamenei’s death. He said he had expected many Iranians to dislike the late leader and suggested the scenes of grief could be “fake”.
Trump also issued a fresh warning, claiming the US could eliminate Iran’s remaining leadership with “one shot” during the funeral ceremonies but would refrain from doing so because there would be “nobody to negotiate with.”
“They are all there. One shot and we can take them all out, but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with… They are begging to make a deal,” Trump told Axios.
Trump further claimed that both Washington and Tehran had effectively paused any military action for a week while the funeral ceremonies continued. He said the US was holding back out of respect for the events and asserted that Iran was seeking to resume negotiations, although there has been no official confirmation from Tehran of any such agreement or pause.
Three of Khamenei’s sons attend funeral prayers
12:18 pm IST: Three of Ali Khamenei’s sons — Mostafa, Masoud and Meysam Hosseini Khamenei — attended funeral prayers for their father and other members of the family.
The appearance marked their first public appearance since the February 28 strikes. Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader, did not attend the ceremony and remained absent from the public event.
Tehran Metro records over 7.14 million trips during funeral ceremonies
11:20 am IST: Iranian authorities said 7,141,212 trips were recorded across Tehran’s metro network between 5:30 pm on Saturday and 7 am on Sunday as mourners travelled to the capital for Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Officials said metro services will continue operating until pm local time to facilitate travel to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla.
Photos: Tehran sees huge turnout for prayers
11:11 am IST:
Watch: Full video of funeral prayers
10:30 am IST:
Funeral prayers conclude
10:17 am IST: Funeral prayers concluded at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, bringing the religious ceremony to an end.
Mourners become emotional during prayers
10:10 am IST:
Funeral prayers begin
10:05 am IST: Senior Shia cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led funeral prayers for Ali Khamenei and members of his family at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla.
Khamenei’s casket brought into prayer hall
9:58 am IST: The casket carrying Ali Khamenei and members of his family was brought into Tehran’s Grand Mosalla before the funeral prayers.
Senior Iranian officials, including the heads of the three branches of government, are present at the venue.
Prayer hall closed as crowds fill Grand Mosalla
9:57 am IST: Tehran’s Grand Mosalla has reached full capacity ahead of the funeral prayers for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Press TV reported.
Authorities have closed the prayer hall and urged mourners to gather in surrounding streets. Several roads around the venue, including the Resalat (Qassem Soleimani) Expressway, have also been closed because of the large crowds.
Mourners keep vigil through the night in Tehran
9:56 am IST: Thousands of mourners remained at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla overnight, with large crowds gathering from dawn on Sunday ahead of the second day’s funeral ceremonies.
