International delegations have begun offering their respect to Ali Khamenei, the slain supreme leader who was killed in airstrikes on the first day of the US-Iran war.
Iran’s ruling clerics are preparing for days of mass funeral rites for Khamenei as a show of public devotion to the Islamic Republic and proof that its revolutionary fervour still burns strong.”The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic,” Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi declared to state media.
Meanwhile, Iran warned Donald Trump and Israel not to launch strikes as the country prepares for the state funeral of the former supreme leader.
Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said the “enemies of Iran” should avoid a “miscalculation” or else face harsh retaliation.
Funeral processions for Khamenei will begin on 4 July in Tehran and conclude on 9 July with his burial in his hometown of Mashhad, with additional ceremonies planned in Qom and Iraq in-between these dates.
