Tens of thousands of Iranians have gathered for funeral prayers to mourn the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressing profound grief.
The two-day farewell ceremony began at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla prayer hall in Tehran on Saturday morning, drawing huge crowds from across the country. Carrying banners and flags in his honor, the mourners expressed their sorrow for the loss of their leader.
"In the days when we had Mr. Khamenei, he was like a protective umbrella of security over both our country and our nation. Unfortunately, that security was so abundant that we didn't appreciate its value. But from the day we lost Mr. Khamenei, we have fully felt his absence. We truly feel a deep sense of regret, a very, very profound regret, for losing such a valuable person, both for me and for my fellow countrymen," said Mahshid, a mourner.
The late leader's body and those of his four family members, killed alongside him in a U.S.-Israeli strike in late February, have been placed on a raised platform.
Mourners from different walks of life have been holding pictures of the late leader and Iranian flags, and chanting slogans against the United States and Israel.
"We are here to avenge the blood of our martyred leader. We arrived last night alongside our neighbors, for the same cause," said Abbas, another mourner.
The two-day event comes after a ceremony in Tehran on Friday, where high-ranking Iranian and foreign officials paid their respects to the late leader.
The event will be followed by a funeral procession on Monday in Tehran, which is expected to draw large crowds from Iran and other regional states.
"We had become accustomed to praying behind His Excellency the Leader for martyrs like Qassem Soleimani, for scholars, and for religious authorities. But we had never become accustomed to praying behind him for his own funeral. Praying over the body of the Leader himself was incredibly difficult, extremely hard. If I say it felt like our souls were being torn apart, I'm not exaggerating at all," said Rasool, a mourner.
Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020. Iran condemned the killing as an act of "state terrorism."
"Every year, we would pray behind the Late Supreme Leader for Eid al-Fitr. We never imagined that one day we would come to pray for his farewell. I hope that we will be able to continue his path and be good students in his school," said Nasrin, another mourner.
Mourners express sorrow at Khamenei's funeral
Mourners express sorrow at Khamenei's funeral
