Khamenei's funeral and six days of ceremonyIran officially began six days of public funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning, state television reported.
Khamenei's funeral to last several daysHis body will lie in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Saturday and Sunday.
Funeral ceremonies will continue there on Tuesday.
He also said Washington had allowed Iran extra time to hold funeral ceremonies.
Khamenei to be buried at Imam Reza shrineIranian authorities have said Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
According to the report, Iranian officials have drawn up contingency plans for a potential mass-casualty incident during the funeral processions, which are expected to draw massive crowds from across the country.
Die Welt said a classified letter from the Iranian Red Crescent and the National Crisis Management Organisation to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref projected a possible death toll of between 1,500 and 3,000 people.
Khamenei's funeral and six days of ceremony
Iran officially began six days of public funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning, state television reported. The funeral processions will later continue in Iraq before his burial.
Iranian authorities say they expect between 15 and 20 million people to take part in the events in Tehran alone over the next three days.
The funeral ceremonies will commemorate Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic from 1989 until he was killed at the age of 86 on the first day of the United States and Israeli war with Iran on February 28.
The events are expected to be closely watched for any public appearance by Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. He was named Supreme Leader a week after his father's death but has not yet appeared in public.
By Friday evening, hundreds of supporters of the Islamic Republic had already gathered outside Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, waiting for it to open to the public at 6 am local time on Saturday.
Khamenei's funeral to last several days
His body will lie in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, it will be taken in a funeral procession through the streets of Tehran before being moved to the Shia seminary city of Qom, about 120 kilometres south of the capital. Funeral ceremonies will continue there on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Khamenei's body will be taken to Karbala in Iraq, home to the shrine of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who is regarded by Shia Muslims as a symbol of resistance.
The day also marks the anniversary of the protests against Khamenei's rule, during which thousands of people were killed by security forces.
After the ceremonies in Karbala, Khamenei's body will be taken to Mashhad, Iran's second largest city.
Trump's swipe at Iran as Tehran begins public funeral ceremonies
US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran was eager to reach an agreement with Washington and said America had dealt a heavy blow to Tehran. He also said Washington had allowed Iran extra time to hold funeral ceremonies.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran. They are dying to settle. They want to settle so badly,” he said.
"We gave them a week off for a funeral because we're nice, that's true," he added.
Khamenei to be buried at Imam Reza shrine
Iranian authorities have said Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
Imam Reza was the eighth Imam in Shia Islam. The shrine attracts millions of pilgrims every year, and a hadith, or saying, says that those who visit it seeking relief from sorrow or forgiveness for their sins will find comfort.
Several prominent Shia clerics have been buried at the shrine, including former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
