Body of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei arrives in Qom

Millions across the country have turned out in the past three days to honour his leadership after he was killed in a US-Israeli strike on the first day of the war.

The body of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in the holy city of Qom, ahead of a planned procession on Tuesday, reported state television.

State TV showed pictures of a helicopter carrying Khamenei’s body landing in the city south of the capital Tehran.

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Earlier, huge numbers of Iranians filled the streets of the capital for the third successive day for the funeral procession.

A truck carrying the bodies of Khamenei and four family members killed in the US-Israeli strike on February 28 inched its way to Azadi Square in the west of the city.

State TV showed crowds stretching along major boulevards in Tehran and said millions turned out for the event, comparable to the giant funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Millions of mourners joined the funeral procession in Tehran, July 6, 2026 [AFP]

Clad in black, mourners threw petals onto the coffins, including the tiny casket of Khamenei’s granddaughter, who was only 14 months old when she was killed, according to state media.

“The US and Israel aimed to divide Iran. But our leader prevented that division. Iranians are here to appreciate what he has done for Iran,” a man who identified himself as Hamid told Al Jazeera.

Another mourner, Marzieh, said she showed up to honour Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 40 years.

“We came here to tell our martyred leader that his blood is not wasted. We came here to renew our allegiance to him,” she said.

Mojtaba absent

There was still no sign of Khamenei’s successor and son, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before his appointment a week after his father’s death.

Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at Tehran University, said he was unable to attend his father’s funeral procession because “the war is not over”.

“There is a very fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States and Israel. Right now they are talking about very hard topics to negotiate,” Eslami said. “With their security arrangements, there’s not really a chance for him to appear in public.”

The ceremonies culminate on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

The head of emergency services, Jafar Miadfar, told state news agency IRNA that “more than 34,000 participants have received medical treatment and emergency medical services” with no fatalities recorded.

‘A clear message’

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was among the mourners, wrote on X that “today we will continue the path of Iran’s honour, progress and glory”.

Other VIPs attending included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and the head of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani.

State TV also showed the head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, making his first appearance in public after his predecessor, Ali Larijani, was killed in an air strike in March.

“The presence of millions of people with red flags and slogans, demanding bloodshed, is a clear message from the Iranian nation to its enemies,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.

Also taking part was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013,

He fell out with Khamenei in the latter part of his presidency and had not been seen since the war began.