Iran displays coffin of Ali Khamenei ahead of state funerals

Mass funeral ceremonies will begin July 4 and end July 9 in Mashhad, as authorities mobilize nationwide participation following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

Iran displays coffins of Ali Khamenei ahead of state funerals, marking the start of a tightly orchestrated period of national mourning following the killing of the Supreme Leader during the war involving the United States and Israel.

Authorities have begun exhibiting the coffins of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family inside the Grand Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran. The ceremonies are set to officially begin on Saturday, July 4, with events scheduled across the country, including a stop in Iraq, before concluding on July 9, 2026, with burial in Mashhad.

State media images from the mosque show five coffins draped in the Iranian flag. Among them are those of Khamenei, his son-in-law Mesbah-ol-Hoda Bagheri, his eldest daughter Seyyedeh Boshra Hosseini Khamenei, his daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel, and his 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani.

The initiative reflects an effort by the Iranian leadership to project unity and mobilize large-scale public participation. President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on citizens to attend “in large numbers,” as authorities frame the multi-day processions—planned in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and other cities—as a demonstration of national resolve.

The ceremonies are unfolding under heightened security concerns. Senior military officials have warned the United States and Israel against carrying out any attacks during the events. At the same time, attention is focused on the possible first public appearance of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has assumed the role of Supreme Leader following his father’s death. He has not been seen in public since being injured in the attack that killed Ali Khamenei and has issued only written statements, fueling speculation about both his health and the succession process.

Separately, General Ahmad Vahidi, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, attended a smaller funeral ceremony held the previous evening near the former residence of the late Supreme Leader in central Tehran. Photographs released by state media show the former interior minister seated beside the coffin. Vahidi had not appeared in public since February 8 and is considered a key figure in shaping Iran’s hardline stance in negotiations over a potential end to the conflict with the United States. He is believed to be part of a small circle in direct contact with the new Supreme Leader, who remains out of public view.

In a separate development, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized European allies over defense spending in a post on Truth Social, days ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8 in Ankara. Trump described it as “ridiculous” that the United States continues to bear what he called a unilateral burden in supporting NATO, citing figures he shared indicating U.S. spending at $999 billion compared with lower contributions from countries including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Poland.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)