The mayor of Tehran says that the state funeral of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed by US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the Middle East war, will be postponed until the end of June or early July.
Iran had earlier said it planned to hold the three-day event in early Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which would have put in early June.
But Mayor Alireza Zakani, in a statement carried by the Fars news agency, says the ceremony has been postponed until after the first 10 days of Muharram to allow the faithful to complete their annual mourning of the Imam Hussein, the revered early Shia leader who was slain at the battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
This would mean Khamenei’s funeral would take place in the second 10 days of Muharram, between June 26 and July 5. Tehran officials have previously said they expect 20 million people to attend.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 12, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
