TEHRAN - Millions of mourners from Iran and other countries performed funeral prayers for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla on Sunday, as an immense outpouring of grief underscored his enduring role as a leading religious and political figure whose influence extended far beyond Iran's borders.
As the prayer hall reached capacity hours before the ceremony, authorities closed all entrances to the sprawling complex in preparation for the funeral prayers of the martyred Leader.
Even after the hall was filled, mourners continued to arrive, with the surrounding streets and avenues transformed into a vast gathering of people paying their final respects and offering prayers for Ayatollah Khamenei.
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, one of Iran’s most senior religious figures, led the prayers at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla. The funeral prayer was first offered for the martyred Leader. It was then offered for four members of Ayatollah Khamenei’s family who were martyred alongside him on the first day of the joint US-Israeli strike against Iran on February 28.
The late Leader’s son-in-law, Dr. Mesbah al-Hoda Bagheri Kani; his eldest daughter, Seyyedeh Boshra Hosseini Khamenei; his 14-month-old granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani; and his daughter-in-law, Zahra Haddad Adel, the wife of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the current Leader of the Islamic Revolution, lost their lives in the US-Israeli attack.
Zahra’s small coffin, placed beside her grandfather’s during the funeral proceedings, has drawn global attention, demonstrating the brutal nature of the aggressors, who have no scruples about killing innocent people, even little children.
The late Leader’s family members, as well as senior Iranian military and political officials, attended the prayers. Ayatollah Khamenei’s sons Masoud, Meysam, and Mostafa were present at the prayers.
The Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Ahmad Vahidi, was in the front row of the ceremony among the mourners. The commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, also took part. President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also attended the Leader’s funeral prayers.
Calls rang out for avenging the death of Ayatollah Khamenei as mourners chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." Mourners also displayed red banners and flags—a potent Shia symbol calling for vengeance for the blood of the slain Leader.
The red flags bearing slogans such as "Ya Latharat al-Hussein" (O Avengers of Hussein) and "Ya Latharat al-Khamenei" (O Avengers of Khamenei) were seen across Tehran’s Grand Mosalla. The latter phrase fuses the mourning of Imam Hussein, the 7th-century grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, whose martyrdom at Karbala in 680 AD is central to Shia identity and commemorated annually as a symbol of resistance against oppression and tyranny.
The "Ya Latharat al-Hussein" cry has historically been used to rally Shia fighters in pursuit of retribution, and its adaptation to the Leader’s name signals a direct call for revenge against those who martyred him.
Global solidarity and institutional stability
The ceremonies began on Friday, which was dedicated to foreign dignitaries. They included Turkmenistan's Chairman of the People's Council Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Iraq's Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, and senior officials from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and several other countries. Representatives of international organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), were also present, alongside senior officials from China, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Cuba, Namibia, and numerous other countries.
The official farewell ceremonies for the public began on Saturday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla.
The massive turnout for the funeral ceremonies is widely viewed as a demonstration of national unity and steadfastness in the wake of the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Throughout the gatherings, mourners voiced strong condemnation of the United States and the Israeli regime, describing the attack as an act of aggression that would not weaken the nation's resolve.
The ceremonies also highlighted the continuity of governance in the Islamic Republic, conveying that the country's political, religious, and military institutions remain united and fully capable of carrying out their responsibilities. The orderly conduct of the mourning events and the transition of leadership were presented as evidence of institutional stability despite unprecedented challenges.
For Iran's regional partners, the commemorations reaffirmed that the country's strategic direction and support for the Axis of Resistance remain unchanged. At home, the widespread participation of people from across the country projected an image of solidarity, resilience, and collective determination, reinforcing the message that while the enemy succeeded in assassinating the Leader, it failed to undermine the nation's unity or its commitment to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.
A transnational procession across shrines
The ceremonies will continue this week. On Monday, the main funeral procession will be held in Tehran. On Tuesday, a commemoration ceremony will be held in Qom, the religious city in central Iran.
