Ali Khamenei's coffin displayed before farewell ceremony in Tehran
The coffins of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and members of his family were exposed in Tehran this Friday (3), as the regime prepares several days of funeral ceremonies in a show of support for the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei was killed in attacks by the United States and Israel on the first day of the war. Funeral events begin this weekend in Tehran, with processions scheduled for next week in the cities of Qom and Mashhad, as well as ceremonies in Iraq.
Khamenei's death and the succession of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as Iran's third supreme leader, amid conflict with the country's main adversaries, mark a historic moment in the 47 years of the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba, who was seriously injured in the attack that killed his father, has not been seen in new footage since the start of the war.
On Saturday (4), Khamenei's remains will be taken to a mosque in Tehran, the first stop of a national funeral procession. The bodies of the new leader's daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and wife, all killed in the same attack, will also be transported at the ceremony.
Amidst the funeral ceremony of the dead supreme leader, the apparent symbolism in the choice of dates draws attention.
Ali Khamenei's body is expected to lie in state this Friday, the same day that the United States celebrates 250 years of its independence with major public events across the country, including a speech by American President Donald Trump.
The entire ceremony takes place during the Islamic month of Muharram, a period deeply associated, in Shiite Islam, with mourning, betrayal and martyrdom - in reference to the martyrdom, in the 7th century, of Imam Hussein, one of the saints of Shiism from whom Khamenei claimed descent.
Khamenei's coffin was covered with the sacred flag that fluttered over Hussein's shrine, according to a post on the leader's official X account this Friday.
امشب؛ پرچم مقدس حرم حضرت اباعبدالله الحسین علیهالسلام بر روی پیکر مطهر مقتدای آزادگان، رهبر عزیز و شهید ایران pic.twitter.com/fASKTvvHoX
- KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی (@Khamenei_fa) July 3, 2026
"Tonight; the sacred banner of the shrine of His Eminence Hazrat Abu Abdullah Hussein (peace be upon him) over the pure body of the guide of the free, the beloved leader and martyr of Iran," reads the post.
The red flag with white inscriptions is a "symbol of resistance, sacrifice and unwavering devotion to the truth", according to an Iranian government publication.
*with information from Reuters
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Source: CNN