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Nearly four months after his assassination, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be laid to rest near the shrine of Imam Reza in Iran's Mashhad city, fulfilling his final wish of being buried next to one of Shia Islam's most revered figures. His funeral, expected around June 21, according to the IRGC, could witness one of the largest public gatherings in modern history.
Iranian officials are expecting around 20 million mourners to converge in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad for the funeral ceremonies, state media said.
Three full days have been set aside for public viewings and farewells.
There has been no news of Khamenei's body since the February 28 joint US-Israeli airstrikes turned his office-cum-residence in Tehran into rubble. Several other family members were killed in the airstrikes.
The main funeral ceremony in Tehran is expected to last at least 24 hours, followed by processions in the religious centre of Qom and finally in Mashhad, where burial will take place at the Imam Reza shrine.
A Tehran municipality official said Khamenei's body will be taken in funeral processions through the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad before his burial, according to an IRGC statement.
The figure, if realised, could rival or even surpass the record set by the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei was assassinated on February 28 in a US-Israeli strike on his office-cum-residence during the opening day of the war between Iran and the two allies. Ayatollah Khamenei was 86. His death came after more than three decades in power and was met with a complex mix of public mourning, shock, and, in some quarters, celebration on Tehran's streets.
His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as successor but has maintained a low public profile since assuming the role.
LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES AND SCALE OF AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI'S FUNERAL
The delay in holding the funeral, which is highly unusual under Islamic tradition, stemmed from the sheer scale of expected attendance and the chaos of wartime conditions, Iranian officials had said in March.
In Islam, burial is supposed to take place within a couple of days of death.
Tehran municipality's deputy for social and cultural affairs, Mohammad Ali Tavakolizadeh, outlined the plans for the late Ayatollah's funeral. The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are overseeing organisation of Khamenei's funeral.
The timing points toward the end of the current Iranian month of Khordad, which concludes around June 21.
KHOMENEI'S FUNERAL SAW 10 MILLION MOURNERS
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral in June 1989 drew an estimated 10 million people, which was roughly one-sixth of Iran's population at the time, and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest proportion of a national population ever to attend a funeral. Crowds overwhelmed security, leading to a deadly stampede that killed at least eight people, with thousands more injured in the crush.
Officials hope to manage larger numbers this time while avoiding similar tragedy, though the challenges of organising such an event in a still-recovering country are immense.
The choice of Mashhad also carries deep symbolic weight. Imam Reza, also known as Ali al-Rida, was the eighth Imam in Twelver Shia Islam. His shrine is one of the holiest sites in the Shia world, drawing nearly 30 million pilgrims annually and serving as Iran's spiritual heart.
Burial next to such a revered figure elevates Khamenei's legacy in the eyes of supporters, linking the political leader who guided the Islamic Republic through sanctions, protests, and conflict to the sacred lineage of the Imams.
For millions of Iranians, it will be a final adieu to a leader who shaped their lives for a generation.
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Published By:
Anand Singh
Published On:
Jun 3, 2026 13:29 IST
