THE NEW YORK TIMES: As days of public mourning ceremonies began, Iranians viewed the casket of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed four months ago at the start of the U.S.-Israeli attacks.
Huge crowds of Iranians gathered on Saturday to view the casket of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at an elaborate state funeral for the Iranian supreme leader, who dominated Iran for decades before being killed in the U.S.-Israeli war in late February.
Tens of thousands of people began arriving at dawn at the Grand Mosalla mosque in the capital, Tehran, for the start of six days of public ceremonies. Millions are expected to participate in the funeral as Ayatollah Khamenei’s body is transported to cities across the country.
Journalists for The New York Times at the event saw grieving supporters erupt in tears at the sight of the caskets of Ayatollah Khamenei and of several family members who were killed along with him, including his daughter and two grandchildren. Encased in glass and draped in Iranian flags, the caskets were placed atop a stage, with the ayatollah’s coffin positioned above the others.
It is a turbulent moment for Iran, which has spiraled from crisis to crisis. Huge antigovernment protests earlier this year were met with a brutal government crackdown, followed by months of war with the United States and Israel. Israeli airstrikes killed Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other top Iranian leaders, on the first day of the conflict.
While Ayatollah Khamenei’s supporters mourn him, many other Iranians view the lengthy and expensive funeral program with anger. Over 37 years of authoritarian rule, he harshly repressed dissent and allowed economic mismanagement and corruption to fester.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been named the country’s new supreme leader. It is unclear whether the son would attend the funeral; he has not been publicly seen since his appointment.
The funeral ceremonies, which overlapped with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, are taking place more than four months after Ayatollah Khamenei was killed, in the wake of a U.S.-Iran cease-fire signed last month. Analysts say the Iranian authorities were probably wary of organizing a mourning event featuring senior leaders when the threat of U.S. or Israeli attacks loomed.
After a procession in Tehran on Monday, his body will be taken to the city of Qom and then on to Karbala and Najaf in Iraq; all three cities hold sacred significance for Shiite Muslims. On Thursday, his remains will be buried in his hometown, Mashhad.
The event in Tehran was intended as a show of strength for Iran’s Islamic Republic, which survived despite U.S. and Israeli hopes for regime change. Conservative supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei said they had slept in their cars overnight to avoid missing the ceremony.
But there were signs of criticism from religious hard-liners who see the cease-fire with the United States as a capitulation. Some mourners carried a banner that read, “What happened to revenge for the blood of our martyred Imam?” a reference to the ayatollah, according to video posted by Iran’s state broadcaster. » | Abdi Latif Dahir, Aaron Boxerman, Yeganeh Torbati and James C. McKinley Jr. | Saturday, July 4, 2026
