Iran official says funeral procession for supreme leader to pass through Iraq
An Iranian official on Wednesday said the funeral procession for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes in February, will pass through Iraq before his burial in Iran.
In a video carried by state media, Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani said the farewell ceremonies and funeral for Khamenei would be held from July 4 to 9.
"On July 8, 2026, they will take place in Iraq, and on July 9, 2026, God willing, in Mashhad" in Iran, where Khamenei will be buried, he added.
Like Iran, neighbouring Iraq has a Shia majority and is home to the holiest sites in Shia Islam, including the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala and Imam Ali in Najaf.
Zakani, however, did not specify where Ali Khamenei's body would be taken during the planned processions in Iraq.
An Iraqi source close to the Iranian embassy said Khamenei's body would be brought to Najaf on July 8.
"Official ceremonies will be held in the airport in the presence of politicians and religious scholars, then the body will be transported by ambulance towards the Imam Ali holy shrine," the source said.
"Afterwards, the body will be transported by helicopter to Karbala... where a mass procession will take place, then back to Najaf, then Mashhad."
Zakani said preparations were also underway for funeral processions in Tehran, where officials expect a crowd of almost "20 million people".
He said the capital "has never had such a large crowd in its history".
When Ruhollah Khomeini died in 1989, Iranian media reported that nearly 10 million people attended his funeral.
Source: Agence France Presse
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