Iran supreme leader’s body arrives for funeral
‘The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.’
‘The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.’
TEHRAN (AFP) — The body of Iran’s supreme leader, killed in United States-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.
Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.
Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, emblazoned with Iran’s tricolor flag, into one of the Islamic republic’s most important ceremonial venues.
Others show crowds at a pre-funeral ceremony clad in black, as the coffin was set down against a backdrop of red flowers and white butterflies hanging in the air.
Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, made his first appearance since the start of the war in February, paying his respects at the coffin, Iranian media footage showed.
Preparations for Khamenei’s public funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, are taking place as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would attend the ceremony.
China, Afghanistan and Iran’s neighbors in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.
Workers were readying the Grand Mosalla on Thursday, while security teams stopped passing cars and curious bystanders looked on.
“We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide,” said worker Hossein Moghadassi, clad in a hat and a scarf to cover his face as the temperature soared.
“People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds.”
Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for “all the Iranian people... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence.”
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” Ghalibaf, who is Iran’s speaker of parliament, added in a statement.
Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the center of the Iranian capital.
He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei.
The bodies of his slain relatives will also be present.
