Tens of thousands of mourners filled the streets of Najaf, Iraq’s sacred city, on Wednesday as the six-day funeral procession of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered Iraqi territory. The atmosphere was charged with chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” as a heavily guarded truck carrying Khamenei’s coffin slowly advanced through a sea of black-clad, grieving crowds.
Alongside the coffin, Iraqi and Iranian flags waved prominently, accompanied by banners of influential Shia paramilitary groups whose supporters turned out in large numbers to pay their final respects. Najaf holds deep religious significance for Shia Muslims worldwide, as it is the burial site of Imam Ali (RA), the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
The coffin arrived at Najaf International Airport late Tuesday, where it was received with a formal ceremony attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, senior state officials, and prominent clerical leaders. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, together with senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also reached Najaf to lead the Iranian delegation.
From Najaf, the funeral procession is planned to proceed to Karbala before the body is returned to Iran for its final interment. Earlier in the week, millions gathered in Tehran for Khamenei’s funeral procession, described by state media as the largest public assembly in modern Iranian history. Vast crowds lined a 10-kilometer route through the capital as the procession commenced after the leader’s body had been displayed for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex.
Khamenei was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli airstrikes reportedly supported by US intelligence amid ongoing Middle East conflicts. The nation is observing several days of mourning before his burial later this week. On Sunday, three of Khamenei’s sons attended funeral prayers in Tehran, standing beside his coffin and those of four other family members. Notably, his successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was absent from public view.
Iranian state television broadcast footage of Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands gathered to honor the late leader.
