Funeral preparations for Iran’s late leader Ali Khamenei begin
TEHRAN, Iran — A powerful Iranian general not seen in public for months has been photographed at a service for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the country prepared for the late leader’s sweeping dayslong funeral, reports BritPanorama.
Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who leads the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), after reportedly attending a meeting about Khamenei’s funeral. Vahidi was then seen sitting alongside Khamenei’s casket at what The Associated Press reported was a smaller service held Thursday night near the late supreme leader’s former home in downtown Tehran.
Iranian officials gathered in Tehran on Friday to pay their respects to Khamenei, whose funeral is expected to be a show of force as the regime tries to demonstrate its continued control over the nation following the U.S. and Israel’s devastating assault. In images published by The Associated Press and Getty Images, a large crowd surrounded the coffin carrying Khamenei’s remains on Friday morning, some weeping as they paid tribute to a leader who was worshipped by some and reviled by others.
Outside the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque, members of the IRGC could be seen kneeling. Under Khamenei’s leadership, the IRGC became the top military, political, and economic force in the country. Millions of Iranians are expected to pay their respects as Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly four decades, will be laid to rest. Those gathering for the lying in state and funeral will contrast sharply with the massive nationwide protests in January that were met by a deadly crackdown, resulting in thousands of deaths and global shockwaves.
Khamenei was killed at the age of 86, alongside members of his family, including his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild, at the start of the Iran war on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched sweeping attacks on the Islamic Republic. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who was wounded in the attack, took up the helm in March after being appointed Iran’s new supreme leader, but details about his condition remain uncertain, as he has yet to be seen in public.
Photos of Khamenei from his early years in power to his final days were on display across the capital Friday, ahead of the funeral processions expected to draw millions. A viewing of Khamenei’s coffin and prayers are anticipated to be held Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, with a funeral procession expected to flood the streets of the capital on Monday.
The country now stands at a crossroads as it navigates its grief and its future direction under new leadership.
