Iran began funeral ceremonies to bid farewell to its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Friday.
People from all walks of life in Iran, religious leaders, and officials from multiple countries attended the ceremony.
According to official schedules, a series of public mourning and farewell activities will unfold across the country in the coming days.
In remarks on Tuesday, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Iran's deputy interior minister and head of the funeral organizing headquarters, said following Friday's ceremony, farewell ceremonies will be held at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla prayer hall in Tehran on Saturday and Sunday, and a funeral procession is scheduled for Monday.
The Iranian capital is preparing for a massive turnout on Monday, when the city-wide funeral procession is expected to draw an estimated 15 million mourners. To manage the immense crowds, all public transportation in Tehran will be free of charge, and the subway system will operate around the clock. Core areas of the city will be completely sealed off to vehicles, allowing only pedestrian access. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been tasked with overseeing security across the city during the funeral period.
Following the events in Tehran, a funeral procession for Khamenei and his family will take place in the city of Qom on July 7. The final burial ceremony is scheduled for July 9 in Mashhad, a holy city in northeastern Iran and the birthplace of the late Supreme Leader.
Ali Khamenei was killed in the United States-Israel strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader in March.
Tehran funeral bids farewell to Khamenei
Tehran funeral bits farewell to Khamenei
