Iran sets off on a funeral procession through Tehran for slain supreme leader Khamenei

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, July 6, 2026. (AP/Altaf Qadri)
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, July 6, 2026. (AP/Altaf Qadri)

Iran begins a procession through its capital, Tehran, for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, is being carried on board a truck.

They will be taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport.

Iran’s theocracy plans to see large crowds attend the ceremony across the city to show popular support for the government.

Iranian state television reports the procession has started.

Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as the 86-year-old Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

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