Iran is finalising preparations to bid a final farewell to its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a five-day funeral procession scheduled from July 5 to July 9. Khamenei, along with other top leaders, was killed over four months ago on February 28 during the joint US-Israel airstrikes under ‘Operation Epic Fury’. Due to the intense ongoing war and volatile security conditions, his funeral had to be postponed multiple times. However, with the recent signing of a historic peace agreement between the US and Iran, regional tensions have eased, allowing the nation to arrange the state funeral 100 days after his death.
While Islamic Sharia tradition strictly dictates that a deceased individual must be buried within 24 hours, exceptions are traditionally carved out for supreme heads of state and grand religious leaders due to diplomatic, constitutional, and logistical necessities. The five-day duration is strategically planned to allow millions of domestic followers from various cities to perform ‘Ziyarat’ (paying final respects) and to accommodate the arrival of global leaders, presidents, and international diplomats. Furthermore, this window provides the essential time required for Iran’s ‘Assembly of Experts’ to address urgent constitutional transitions and smoothly elect the next supreme successor without triggering a domestic law-and-order crisis.
The elaborate five-day schedule will involve embalming the body to safely preserve it before leading massive public processions through Iran’s holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, culminating in the capital city of Tehran. Following the public viewing, official funeral prayers (Janazah Namaz) will be led by top religious authorities at the Grand Musalla or Tehran University, after which foreign dignitaries will officially pay their condolences. On the fifth day, under heavy security, the final burial (Dafan) will take place at the holy precinct of Ayatollah Khomeini’s shrine. Kaiga, among other surrounding updates, noted that Iran extended an official invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the state funeral.
