Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei to be buried July 9

Iran's later supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before being killed by Israeli and US airstrikes on February 28, will be buried on July 9, state television reported Saturday.

The burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, initially scheduled for March but postponed due to the war, will follow three days of funeral ceremonies in capital Tehran beginning July 4 and another in the holy city of Qom on July 7, it said.

Iranian authorities are anticipating attendance of up to 20 million people across ceremonies in multiple cities. A period of national mourning has been declared to accompany the events.

Funeral processions for Ali Khamenei will move through at least three major cities: Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad. Each procession is expected to last at least 24 hours, per Ali Khamenei’s will.

The office responsible for preserving and publishing the works of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a statement, said farewell ceremonies for the martyred leader’s body will be held at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla on July 4 and 5, corresponding to the 19th and 20th days of Muharram.

A funeral procession in Tehran is scheduled for July 6, while another procession will take place in the holy city of Qom on July 7.

The final funeral ceremony will be held in the holy city of Mashhad on July 9, coinciding with the eve of the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Sajjad (AS). The statement said the martyred Leader will be laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS).

The organizers invited “all noble and dear people, the free people of the world, followers of the school of Islam, and those interested in Iran” to attend the ceremonies and bid farewell to the martyred Leader, according to Press TV.

The statement also thanked government bodies and popular groups for extensive preparations, stressing that the principal role in organizing the ceremonies would belong to the people themselves as “the true owners of the mourning,” adding an unparalleled display of public participation is expected.–Agencies