Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran on July 6, 2026, to participate in the funeral procession for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed in an airstrike at the onset of the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran.

Monday marked the largest gathering of mourners, with tens of thousands tightly packed along one of Tehran's central boulevards, according to Reuters. Khamenei's casket, draped with the Iranian flag, was accompanied by four others carrying the bodies of his family members who were also killed in the strike.

Mourners expressed their devotion by throwing scarves and personal effects at the caskets to be blessed. While Khamenei's sons were present during the procession, his son and successor as supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was notably absent.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined the mourners in the streets and participated in prayers behind the Ayatollah’s coffin during a public ceremony at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. Pezeshkian posted on the social platform X, translated from Persian, "The leadership of the martyr taught everyone that Iran’s greatest asset is its people and their unity. Today, too, by acting upon the divine command ‘that you stand for Allah in twos and singly,’ with empathy, concord, and sincere service to the people, we will continue the path of Iran’s honor, progress, and glory."

The caskets were transported on a 12-hour journey from Mehrabad International Airport before being flown later on Monday to the Shiite city of Qom, Iranian state media reported.

Khamenei had been a longtime critic of the United States and became Iran’s figurehead following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, who was the country’s first supreme leader after the Iranian Revolution a decade earlier.

Sources

  • The Hill
  • Reuters (as cited by The Hill)