The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried surrounded by mourners outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran’s dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began on Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.
Khamenei’s body was taken Wednesday to the Iraqi city of Najaf, holy for millions of Shiite Muslims worldwide, and also to Karbala where Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in 680 AD. Thousands attended the funeral processions in Iraq before the body was to be returned to Iran.
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The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a crowd as mourners jostle to reach and touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a tightly packed crowd as mourners jostle to reach and touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried by mourners to the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Mourners gather in prayer during the funeral procession for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei inside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)A mourner, draped in an Iranian flag, reacts during funeral prayers for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, covered with flower petals, is carried by mourners outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)A truck carrying the coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes its way through mourners during a funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Mourners gather in prayer during the funeral procession for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei inside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Shiite mourners chant slogans as the perform ritual self-flagellation with chains outside the Imam Hussein Shrine on the eve of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Karbala, Iraq, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried by mourners to the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Mourners surround a truck carrying the coffins of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family during the funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners chant slogans while gathered in Islamic Revolution Square for the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei beneath a billboard depicting Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Uniformed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wave a Shiite religious flag during the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Men beat their chests aboard a subway train as they travel to attend the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)The truck carrying the coffins of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family makes its way through mourners during the funeral procession toward Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A man weeps during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Mourners walk through a subway station as they make their way to the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners hold portraits of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei while gathered in Islamic Revolution Square for the funeral procession of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A boy peeks from behind a sign depicting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overlaid with crosshairs and the words “There will be blood” during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Mourners write messages on a wall, including one in English that reads “We will kill Trump,” during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A little girl raises her fist from atop a man’s shoulders as mourners gather during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)The coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners pray on a road adjacent to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque, top, during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Hadi Zand/ISNA via AP)Mourners attend the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)The casket of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, is displayed alongside the caskets of Khamenei and other members of his family during a viewing ceremony ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Revolutionary Guard members and clerics mourn on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque as preparations are underway ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners chant while holding flower-framed portraits of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during Khamenei’s funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)The coffins of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family are displayed on a platform before the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. A Quran verse in Persian on the backdrop reads, “Say, ‘I only advise you of one thing: that you stand for Allah, in pairs or individually.'” (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A mourner weeps during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Mementoes are written on a barricade placed on the street leading to the residence of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei where he was killed during the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Shops are closed in Tehran old main bazaar due to the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown in the banner on top, and members of his family, who were killed during the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Vahid Salemi, Altaf Qadri, Anmar Khalil, Hadi Mizban And Khalil Hamra The Associated Press
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