Iranian authorities have called for a massive public turnout at the funeral of the country’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging citizens to demonstrate national unity following his death in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the recent conflict.
Speaking on Thursday, Iran’s chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, described the funeral as a defining moment in the country’s history and called on Iranians to participate in large numbers.
“I invite all the Iranian people to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through their presence at the funeral ceremonies,” Ghalibaf said in a statement, adding that “the nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.”
The funeral, which was postponed during the height of the conflict, is scheduled to begin on Saturday at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex, a major venue for national religious and state ceremonies.
Khamenei, who led Iran for decades and was regarded as the country’s highest political and religious authority, was killed on February 28 at the age of 86 during the opening day of the war. The bodies of several of his slain relatives will also lie in state during the ceremonies.
Iranian officials expect between 15 million and 20 million mourners to attend, potentially making it the largest state funeral in the country’s history.
Authorities have declared public holidays in Tehran as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad during the funeral period. Government offices and many private businesses in the capital will remain closed from Saturday through Monday, while extensive traffic restrictions and partial airspace closures have also been announced..
It remains unclear whether Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will make a public appearance during the funeral, as he has not been seen publicly since assuming the role.
