A two-day public farewell ceremony for Iran’s assassinated former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has come to a close, with millions expected to take part in a funeral procession scheduled in Tehran today.
For many people who have travelled from across Iran and other parts of the world, the event is seen as a final opportunity to say goodbye to Khamenei and his slain family members and top Iranian officials.
For Iranian leadership, the ceremonies are about more than mourning; they are also a public display of continuity after the assassination of a man who led the country for almost four decades.
The message is that institutions he created remain intact and the transition of power is proceeding normally.
The crowds are expected to gather again and again in the coming days. The biggest gathering is expected to take place in Tehran again because Khamenei’s coffin will be taken to Freedom Square for public display.
His body will be taken to Qom on July 7 and to Karbala and Najaf in Iraq on July 8.
On July 9, his body will be taken back to Mashhad in Iran, where his family is from and where the eighth imam of Shia Islam is buried.
Meanwhile, the political statements from Washington and Iran have continued over the past few days, making the funeral a complex affair for both sides.
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