The funeral prayer for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was held on Sunday (July 5). Press TV reported that the prayer took place at Tehran’s Grand Prayer Ground on the third day of the ongoing week-long funeral program in Tehran.
Prominent religious scholar Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led the funeral prayer. A large number of grieving people participated in it.
The funeral prayer was held in three stages. In the first stage, prayers were offered for Ayatollah Khamenei. In the second stage, funeral prayers were held for his family members Sayyede Bushra Hosseini Khamenei, Mesbah Al-Huda Baqeri, and Zahra Haddad Adel. In the third stage, funeral prayers were performed for his granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.
Following Ayatollah Khamenei’s death, farewell ceremonies began at Imam Khomeini Mosalla from early Saturday (July 4). A large number of people gathered there to pay their last respects.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran is satisfied with the participation of representatives from over 70 countries in the funeral ceremony of the martyred Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a post on social media platform X in Arabic on Saturday (July 3), Araghchi said, “We are delighted by the presence of representatives from over 70 countries, especially our Arab brothers. This historic commemoration will forever be remembered in the history of our mutual relations.”
The second day of the week-long funeral program, which began on July 3 at Tehran’s Grand Prayer Ground, has concluded. Millions of grieving people and high-level representatives from various countries paid their respects to Khamenei there. Heads of state, prime ministers, parliamentary speakers, foreign ministers, and special envoys from various countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe are participating in this program, which will continue until July 9.
Khamenei, who served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, was killed on February 28 in an attack by the United States and Israel. He was 86 years old at the time of his death.
On Sunday (July 4) evening, his body will be moved from Tehran’s Grand Prayer Ground to prepare for Monday’s procession in the capital. At the funeral ceremony, which began on Saturday with public participation, a large number of people were present wearing black clothes and holding red flags as symbols of revenge and justice. Alongside expressions of grief, slogans like ‘Death to America’ and ‘Revenge, Revenge’ were also heard.
High-level representatives from various countries participated in the funeral, which began on Friday. Among the guests present were Dmitry Medvedev, Cevdet Yılmaz, Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir, Emomali Rahmon, and Nikol Pashinyan, among many others.
According to the program, Khamenei’s body will be taken to Qom on July 7. After religious ceremonies in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, Iraq, on July 8, the burial is scheduled to be completed at the Imam Reza Shrine on July 9.
It is noteworthy that on February 28, during discussions in Geneva, a US-Israeli joint force attacked Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other top officials were killed in this attack. In protest, Iran launched 100 attacks on Israeli and US bases in the Middle East over 39 days.
Following this, Trump proposed a ceasefire on April 7, based on Iran’s 10-point proposal. The ceasefire came into effect on April 8 with Pakistan’s mediation, and representatives of the two countries met directly in Islamabad on April 11. As the discussions were not fruitful, a naval blockade was imposed in Hormuz on April 13. Subsequently, Trump extended the ceasefire period several times.
Most recently, this week, both sides reached an understanding on a Memorandum of Understanding based on Iran’s 14 conditions. According to Axios news, based on the 14 points, both sides have agreed to negotiations for 60 days, and in exchange for stopping attacks/war on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened.
According to the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, a total of 3,375 people were killed in the conflict from February 28 to April 10, including 2,875 men and 496 women. Additionally, according to emergency medical department data, 118 medical personnel were injured and 26 were killed in this war.