The funeral is scheduled to take place at the start of the Islamic mourning month of Muharram, Iranian media quoted Tehran’s deputy mayor Amin Tavakolizadeh as saying on Tuesday. Based on the lunar calendar, the ceremony could therefore be held in mid-June.
Official funeral ceremonies will reportedly be held in Iran’s capital Tehran, the pilgrimage city of Qom and Khamenei’s hometown of Mashad.
The former supreme leader will be buried in the religious center of Mashhad, the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. In Tehran, authorities are preparing for gatherings of up to 20 million people.
Khamenei was killed in an attack on his official residence in Tehran on February 28 during the opening stages of the US-Israeli war. He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment in early March. He is believed to be seriously injured.
No large funeral ceremonies were initially planned for the former supreme leader, partly for security reasons.
A ceasefire has been in force in the conflict since the beginning of April. Negotiations on conflict resolution have not brought any progress so far, reports dpa.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
Chat readers
Join the discussion