A funeral procession for Iran's late supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Monday ahead of his burial later this week, with authorities expecting the event to last up to12 hours. The procession started in eastern Tehran and will pass through thecity along its main thoroughfare to Azadi Tower in the west, the government said. General Hassan Hassan zadeh, who is overseeing the arrangements, told state television the procession was expected to last up to 12 hours.
Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his official residence in Tehran on February 28. A five-week US and Israeli bombing campaign ensued until a ceasefire was agreed at the beginning of April. Iran closed the airspace over Tehran on Monday for security reasons.Temporary and localized flight restrictions will also be in place on Tuesday and until Khamenei's funeral on Thursday. Khamenei is due to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran after ceremonies in the holy city of Qom and neighbouring Iraq.
For Iran's leadership and Khamenei's supporters, the state funeral is both a farewell to the country's longtime supreme leader and a demonstration of political unity following the war. The government has repeatedly said Iran withstood the conflict despite facing militarily superior opponents. Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed supreme leader in early March but has not appeared in public since, fuelling speculation about his health. He is reported to have suffered serious injuries, and it remains unclear whether he will attend the funeral in Mashhad.
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