Up to 43 million joined Khamenei’s six-day funeral, says Iran

Up to 43 million people participated in the six-day funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which concluded with his private burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad on Thursday, July 9.

The attendance figures were reported by Iranian media, while state-run Press TV described the ceremonies as “the largest procession the world has ever witnessed.” Funeral events were held across Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said Khamenei was buried in the memorial hall of the Imam Reza shrine, Iran’s holiest Shia site. The private burial followed nearly a week of public mourning and funeral processions.

International delegations attend

Delegations from more than 100 countries attended the ceremonies, along with representatives of Iran’s regional allies, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad from Gaza, Hezbollah from Lebanon and the Houthis from Yemen.

Three of Khamenei’s sons — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei — attended the burial. However, his son and successor, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, did not appear at any stage of the funeral ceremonies and has remained out of public view since the February 28 US-Israeli strike that killed his father.

Public mourning began on Saturday, July 4, at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, where tens of thousands gathered as Khamenei’s coffin was placed on display before beginning a multi-city funeral procession.

Khamenei’s funeral had originally been scheduled for March but was postponed after the outbreak of the war. The ceremonies followed the February 28 US-Israeli strike that killed Khamenei, several members of his family and a number of senior Iranian officials.

Conflict remains unresolved

The conflict began after Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Iran in February. Iranian authorities say more than 3,000 people have been killed since then. Tehran responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and US military assets across the Gulf.

Last month, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding under Pakistani mediation aimed at ending the conflict and working towards a lasting peace agreement.

Despite those efforts, hostilities have resumed in recent days. The latest escalation followed Iran’s reported attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, Tehran said it targeted US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan in retaliation for a second consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian territory.