Braving sweltering heat and calling for revenge, Iranians loyal to the Islamic Republic massed on Thursday for the burial of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad.
An Israeli strike killed Khamenei in late February on the first day of the Middle East war, bringing an end to his more than three and a half decades in power.
Thousands of people filled the streets of the eastern city of Mashhad, home to one of the holiest sites in the Shia strain of Islam that is prevalent in Iran.
With new hostilities breaking out with the United States even after an accord last month to end the war, at least one fighter jet escorted the plane carrying the late Iranian leader’s coffin to Mashhad.
The burial will be the final act in a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies which have allowed people to pay tribute in Tehran, the clerical hub of Qom and also Iraq.
Men wore black shirts while women were clad in black chadors, many waving the red flags that symbolize the search for vengeance in Shia Islam, AFP correspondents said.
“People here all seek revenge,” said Mohammad Afsharian, 41, a shop owner.
“I don’t know what’s the story with diplomacy and what’s the policy to continue diplomacy but all the people are carrying red flags in a sign of seeking revenge,” he said.
Observers have been watching closely for any signs of Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make any public appearances and was said to have been injured in the same strike that killed his father.
Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini was quoted on state television as saying he “expects 15 million people” to attend Khamenei’s funeral.
Near the mausoleum, many children were present. Many have come with their families, wearing caps in the colors of the Islamic Republic.
With temperatures hitting 35°C, water sprinklers were used to keep the faithful cool.
At the foot of a hotel called Miami, a giant banner showed a caricature of US President Donald Trump with a bounty on his head.
Another sign showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a message in English: “There will be blood.”
The funeral was originally set to begin on Thursday at 6am (0230 GMT), but local media later cited organizers as saying it would begin at 2:00 pm because ceremonies in Iraq had run late.
Meanwhile the eruption of fighting forced the closure of the rail link between Tehran and Mashhad, a city located some 800 kilometers east of the capital, although road transport was being organized for stranded passengers, the state rail company said.
According to the official IRNA news agency, Khamenei is to be buried Thursday evening in the Shrine of Imam Reza -- Iran’s most revered place of worship.
Imam Reza is the only one of the 12 Shia imams buried in Iran.
The prayer will be led by Hossein Noori Hamedani, a 101-year-old ayatollah and conservative figure in the Islamic republic.
Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies included a series of locations that reflect the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic.
His chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpaygani, had previously said on state television that Khamenei himself had wished to be buried in Mashhad.
Several notable figures have been buried in the shrine over the centuries, including several former Iranian shahs, as well as former Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
The Islamic Republic hopes the ceremony will project strength and unity following the Middle East war, and six months after a crackdown on anti-government protests.
“We are here for the sake of our martyred leader, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, for Iran, or my country, for my beliefs, for Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, for the existence of Iran that ages for millennia and had thousands of years of civilization,” said shop owner Afsharian.
Khamenei will be buried with his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife Zahra Haddad Adel, who were all killed in the February 28 strikes.