TEHRAN, July 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Vast crowds gathered for the funeral 
procession of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday, 
with authorities estimating millions were on the streets in numbers that 
could rival those of his predecessor's farewell nearly four decades ago.

Authorities have yet to give an official turnout figure but AFP images showed 
huge numbers stretching along major boulevards in the Iranian capital.

The ceremonies offer Iran an opportunity to project resilience after five 
weeks of war with the United States and Israel, although attention remains 
focused on Khamenei's successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not 
appeared in public since taking power.

After lying in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious 
complex, the body of Khamenei -- who was killed on the first day of the 
Middle East war on February 28 -- began its journey through the capital 
accompanied by massive crowds.

Flower petals covered the coffin as it made its way along the streets, AFP 
images showed.

Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 
funeral of Khamenei's predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an 
estimated 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA.

Crowd surges during Khomeini's farewell killed more than 10 people and 
injured over 10,000.

"If I am to compare this ceremony to that one, I can say they are not 
different at all. But the crowd this time seems more enthusiastic," said 
Gholamreza Khanbabaei, 58, attending the procession.

Tehran's airspace was closed on Monday as the country stood still to remember 
the former leader.

Mourners marched through the streets waving the flags of Iran and the Tehran-
backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, as well as red flags symbolising 
revenge.

Others gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy 
of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.

Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen attending the procession, 
according to local media.

In sweltering heat, trucks sprayed mourners with water to cool them, while 
organisers handed out Iranian flags and pictures of Ali and Mojtaba.

- Mojtaba absent -

The procession route covers around 20 kilometres (12 miles).

A day earlier thousands had filled the Grand Mosalla to pay their respects to 
Khamenei and four family members killed in the Israeli airstrikes, which were 
based on US intelligence.

Massive concrete walls at the complex separated the public from the coffin to 
prevent stampedes.

It is unclear what level of access and proximity the public will eventually 
have during Monday's procession, but authorities are mindful that in 1989 
they were forced to use a helicopter to transport Khomeini for burial after 
mourners stormed his vehicle, causing his burial shroud to tear and his body 
to fall to the ground.

Monday's procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of 
Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, 
culminating in Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern 
Iran on Thursday.

Three of Ali Khamenei's sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on 
Sunday, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba, who was named supreme 
leader shortly after his father's killing but has yet to appear in public.

Officials have said he was wounded in the airstrikes but the severity of his 
injuries remains unclear.

The new commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, 
whose predecessor was killed on February 28, also appeared at the funerals 
for a second time on Sunday, on this occasion in the open air, after he went 
unseen throughout the war.

Esmail Qaani, the shadowy head of the Guards' Quds Force -- responsible for 
its foreign operations -- also made a rare appearance.

- 'Want revenge' -

The government is eager to tout the mass mobilisation in support of the 
authorities after mass protests took place in January that rights groups say 
were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people.

The Middle East war is on hold following a ceasefire and an initial accord 
struck with the US. But both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready 
to resume military action, and vengeance has been a major theme at the 
funeral.

Khamenei long pursued a course of confrontation with the West, and Tehran for 
years has provided support to anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups around the 
Middle East, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah, who both 
sent delegations to the ceremonies.

Some of Khamenei's supporters at Monday's procession echoed that message of 
confrontation.

"We want revenge. It must be done. Because later, if it's not done, it will 
get worse," said Khanbabaei.