The body of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , who died in the early moments of the war last February, has arrived at the Imam Khomeini prayer hall in Tehran, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency.
The first program to bid farewell to “Sayyid al-Shuhada’ Iran” was held on Thursday evening, after the Maghrib and Isha prayers, with a farewell ceremony for a group of families of “martyrs of the second and third imposed wars,” and “families of martyrs of the Office of the Supreme Leader and families of martyrs of the Guardian Protection Corps,” at the “Martyrdom of the Imam,” according to what the Iranian agency reported.
The two-day farewell ceremony for the body of the late Iranian Supreme Leader is scheduled to begin on Saturday morning, with widespread participation from mourners from across the country, at Tehran's prayer hall.
week of public mourning
Ayatollah Mohammad Saeedi, the Friday prayer leader in Qom, told state media that “the huge public turnout to participate in the funeral ceremonies for the martyred leader and other martyrs will, in fact, be another referendum on the Islamic Republic.”
If the authorities view this as a referendum, they are not leaving the outcome to chance. They hope to mobilize millions of supporters to fill Iran's cities, providing them with transportation, accommodation, and food, to demonstrate the strength of their theocratic state after it survived what they considered an existential war.
The death of Khamenei, and the succession of his son Mojtaba as Iran's third Supreme Leader, amidst a conflict with its greatest enemies, marks a pivotal moment in the 47-year history of the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba, who was seriously wounded in the attack that killed his father, has not appeared in any new photographs since the start of the war.
Now, Tehran is gripped by an atmosphere of tension and calm, in stark contrast to the funeral of the former Supreme Leader and leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
At that time, millions gathered weeping around the funeral procession, some climbing onto the ambulance, as the deceased leader's leg was exposed from his shroud while the Revolutionary Guard struggled to keep the crowds away.
Samira, 35, whose husband owns a restaurant in Tehran, said her family did not intend to attend any funeral events and that she would be leaving Tehran for the week. “It feels like life has stopped, and Basij members are everywhere,” she added, referring to the Revolutionary Guard’s volunteer force.
Massive marches in several cities
In the Iranian theocratic system, Khamenei was not only the head of state and leader of a revolutionary movement, but also the representative of the Hidden Imam, the twelfth Imam whom Shiites believe disappeared in the ninth century. Khamenei's assassination in an attack by enemies is seen as a model for Shiite traditions of martyrdom and mourning, with processions attended by Shiites dressed in black.
This powerful symbolism is evident in the black banners that have been hanging in the city's streets since his death, and in the mourning ceremonies that commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the third Imam of the Shiites.
Workers are putting up new posters in Tehran declaring support for the new leader, Mojtaba, with pictures of the late Khamenei and a raised revolutionary fist in the background.
For supporters of the Islamic Republic, talk of martyrdom is not just empty words. “These are the hardest days of my life,” said Mohsen, 24, a member of the Basij militia in Tehran, who asked that his last name not be used. “I don’t remember the exact time of Imam Khomeini’s death, but my father says the whole country was plunged into grief and mourning. And today, too, people are grieving, especially with the martyrdom of our leader.”
Officials and prominent foreign figures, including those from Russia and China, will offer condolences at events on Friday. On Saturday, Khamenei's body will be taken to a Tehran mosque, the first stop on a nationwide funeral procession. The bodies of his daughter, her husband, and his granddaughter, as well as the wife of the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba, all killed in the same airstrike, will be carried with him.
Hotels are offering 50 percent discounts, and schools, mosques, and gyms have been prepared to receive mourners. Bus and train routes have also been rerouted to serve the main events. After what authorities describe as a massive funeral procession in central Tehran on Monday, the body will be taken to Qom, home to the seminaries and the center of Shiite leadership in Iran, for ceremonies on Tuesday. Further ceremonies will be held in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, attended by prominent figures from the network ofShiite leadership in Iran, for ceremonies on Tuesday. Further ceremonies will be held in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, attended by prominent figures from the network of Shiite agents. On Thursday, after another funeral procession, he will be buried in Mashhad, near the revered shrine of Imam Reza.
Security measures will be tightened, with temporary restrictions imposed on airspace over Tehran and other cities, and threats of a strong response if the United States or Israel resume attacks.
“We are showing our strength to America and others in our own way,” said Hossein Khairi, 63, a veteran of the 1980-1988 Iraq War, standing beneath a picture of Khamenei in Tehran.
