Preparations for Ali Khamenei's 'burial at Imam Reza Shrine': 'Twenty million people from all over the world, including Pakistan, are expected to attend'

 

Preparations for Ali Khamenei's 'burial at Imam Reza Shrine': 'Twenty million people from all over the world, including Pakistan, are expected to attend'

Iranian government officials have shared details about the funeral and burial of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Mohammad Amin Tavaklizadeh, deputy head of cultural and social affairs at Tehran Municipality, said the funeral of Iran’s former supreme leader will be held “possibly at the end of Dhul-Hijjah and the beginning of Muharram,” about two weeks from now.

 

He said the ceremony will be led by the Revolutionary Guards and will include a three-day “public farewell” program.

Tavaklizadeh said the farewell ceremony will last for at least 24 hours in Tehran, followed by a funeral prayer and burial.

He said that preparations are being made for the occasion, “in view of the expected participation of more than 15 to 20 million people in the capital Tehran.”

According to him, Ali Khamenei’s funeral prayers will also be held in Qom and Mashhad after Tehran.

Tavaklizadeh said that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad in accordance with his “will” and “the suggestion of relatives.”

According to Tehran’s deputy mayor, “mourners” from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Kashmir and other countries of the Islamic world are expected to visit Mashhad for the occasion.

He added that the cities from which Ali Khamenei's body will be taken to Mashhad, including Qom, Karaj and Semnan, will host ceremonies for at least a day.

According to Tavaklizadeh, Iraqi tribes, the public and parliament have also requested to host the funeral, but in the current circumstances, this is a sensitive matter and is being considered.

When Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Ali Khamenei was targeted along with other family members in a joint attack in Tehran the day before. Some members of his family were also killed with him, for whom a ceremony was held in Tehran last week.

During the war, it was said that Ali Khamenei's funeral was being postponed until an appropriate time, but no date was given. Even after the ceasefire, preparations for holding the ceremony were mentioned, but for some reason this could not happen.

Iranian authorities have not yet said whether Ali Khamenei will be buried.

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Following rumors in recent days, the responsible institutions in Tehran clarified that the burial will not take place on June 4, the occasion of ‘Eid Ghadir’.

Earlier, Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Propaganda Council, said that Ali Khamenei’s burial will be “a global event that will go down in the history of Iran and Islam.” He also said that ‘at this time, registration and announcements of readiness to participate are being seen from other countries, including Iraq.’

Violent protests were seen in several cities of Pakistan against the killing of Ali Khamenei in the American and Israeli attack, as well as in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is under its administration, in which deaths were also reported, while due to the deteriorating situation in Gilgit-Baltistan, a curfew was imposed and the army was deployed.

Protesters attempted to march towards the US consulates, embassies and other locations in Pakistan, but at least 23 people were killed in clashes with police, Rangers and other law enforcement officials.

The Pakistani government condemned the killing of Seyyed Ali Khamenei and appealed to the protesters to remain peaceful. Section 144 (prohibition of gatherings of five or more people) was also imposed in several cities.