Armed police and elite security forces blanketed Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on July 5, 2026, as millions of mourners gathered for the public funeral of the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The massive multi-day state ceremony took place more than four months after the 86-year-old cleric was killed on February 28 during a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike campaign. Because of ongoing wartime hostilities and immense security risks across the region, authorities turned the religious complex into a heavily fortified zone, implementing rigorous screenings and deploying heavily armed units to safeguard the massive crowds.

The high-stakes event served as a critical display of political continuity and survival for the Islamic Republic. Top political and military figures, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and elite Revolutionary Guard commanders, stood prominently alongside the flag-draped caskets of Khamenei and four family members who perished in the same blast. However, the late leader's fourth son and newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was notably absent from the public eye. Reports indicate that the younger Khamenei, who was injured in the initial February bombardment, remains in hiding due to persistent assassination threats.

The state-orchestrated gathering drew immense crowds and foreign delegations from dozens of countries despite sweltering 90-degree summer heat. Attendees wept openly and waved national flags, while large banners throughout the Mosalla complex called for direct retribution against Washington and Tel Aviv. Following the conclusion of the public prayers led by senior clerics in Tehran, the late leader’s body is scheduled to be transported to holy sites in Qom, Najaf, and Karbala before a final burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.