Iran announces three-day funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei, over three months after his death in US-Israeli strike

Iranian state media announced on Tuesday that the country is preparing a massive, three-day funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on his Tehran residence on 28 February, the first day of the Ramadan War. The ceremonies, which have been repeatedly postponed since early March due to the ongoing conflict and security concerns, are now tentatively scheduled for the beginning of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which falls in mid-June.

The funeral plan

Tehran's deputy mayor for cultural and social affairs, Mohammad Amin Tavakoli-Zadeh, outlined the arrangements on state television. The public ceremonies will span three days and move through three cities: the capital Tehran, the holy city of Qom, and finally Mashhad, where Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza Mausoleum. In Tehran, the procession is expected to last at least 24 hours, with authorities preparing for crowds of between 15 and 20 million people.

In Tehran, the ceremony will last at least 24 hours.

A death in the opening hours of war

Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for nearly 37 years, was 86 when he was killed in a large-scale missile attack by US and Israeli forces under operations named Epic Fury and Roaring Lion. His body was found in the rubble of his home office in central Tehran. His wife, Mansureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, was also wounded in the attack and died on 2 March. Several other family members, including a daughter and a granddaughter, were also killed.

Succession and the delayed mourning

An initial state funeral scheduled for 4 March at the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum was postponed indefinitely. Iranian officials cited logistical constraints in managing the enormous expected crowds, as well as security concerns amid continued bombardment. On 8 March, the Assembly of Experts appointed Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his designated successor. The new Supreme Leader has not appeared in public since assuming the role, reportedly wounded in a strike, and communicates only through written messages.

The wider conflict

Washington and Tel Aviv justified the military offensive by citing Iran's inflexibility in negotiations over its uranium enrichment programme, which Tehran maintains is for civilian purposes. In retaliation, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's crude oil passes, and launched attacks on targets in Israel, US bases, and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, and Iraq. A two-week ceasefire was agreed on 8 April to allow indirect negotiations based on a ten-point plan. The truce has been extended several times by President Donald Trump, though talks were suspended on Monday. Tehran continues to maintain the Strait of Hormuz blockade.