Jakarta, ThedailyID — Iran is preparing for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with officials expecting up to 20 million people to attend ceremonies across several cities in early July.
According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, citing unnamed officials, mourning ceremonies will begin on July 4 in Tehran and the holy city of Qom.
Authorities plan to hold the funeral on July 9 in Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace in northeastern Iran.
Officials are coordinating with the national police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to manage security and crowd control during the events.
According to Al Jazeera, organizers are also considering a memorial ceremony at a major Shiite holy site in Karbala, Iraq. However, officials have not confirmed those plans.
Khamenei died at the age of 86 after a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike hit his official residence in Tehran during the opening wave of military operations on Feb. 28.
Iran had originally planned to bury Khamenei shortly after his death. However, authorities postponed the funeral several times because of security concerns.
Officials expect senior political and military leaders from across Iran to attend the ceremony. The large gathering has prompted extensive security preparations.
The funeral is expected to become one of the largest public mourning events in modern Iranian history, with millions of people anticipated to travel to pay their final respects to the leader who headed the Islamic Republic for decades.
