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Iranians begin to gather for Khamenei funeral ceremonies
Iranians began to gather on Friday for the funeral ceremonies of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as officials and international dignitaries paid their last respects to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.
Iranian authorities have planned a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic republic as its number one from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war on February 28.
After five weeks of fighting, the conflict is on hold following an initial accord between Iran and the US, and the funeral has afforded authorities an opportunity to burnish the strength of the Islamic republic after the war.
Several hundred supporters of the Islamic republic were already waiting on Friday evening outside the venue ahead of its opening to the public the following morning from 6:00 am local time (0230 GMT), with vast crowds expected to attend.
"We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn't painful or difficult for us," Somayye Hamedi told AFP while waiting outside the Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran.
Khamenei's coffin had been carried into the complex earlier -- simply draped in a flag of the Islamic republic and with his black turban placed on top.
Top Iranian officials paid their respects, including Ahmad Vahidi, who was named chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor was killed in the same strikes that killed Khamenei but had not been seen since.
But there was no sign -- as yet -- of Khamenei's son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader a week after the killing of his father but is yet to appear in public.
- 'Final goodbye' -
The coffin will lie in state there until Monday, when a procession will pass through Tehran. On Tuesday it will move to the clerical hub of Qom, before moving on Wednesday to cities holy to Shia Muslims in neighbouring Iraq, then proceeding for burial on Thursday in Khamenei's home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
Officials who survived the war showed their grief and displayed a united front on Friday, with parliament speaker and top negotiator in the US talks Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visibly tearful.
The coming days will be closely scrutinised for signs of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only by written statements and is said to have been wounded in the same strikes, though the extent of his injuries was never made clear.
Other relatives killed in the strikes will also be buried, including Ali Khamenei's infant granddaughter.
Among the international guests was Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US, and who attended alongside the powerful Pakistani army chief Asim Munir.
Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian security council, attended on behalf of President Vladimir Putin.
Under Khamenei, Iran supported armed groups around the region classified by the West as terror groups.
Hamas Shura advisory council leader Mohammed Darwish represented the Palestinian militant group, while relatives of the former leader of Lebanese group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike in 2024, were also present.
- 'Call for vengeance' -
Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for a large turnout, saying: "The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world."
Army chief Amir Hatami vowed Israeli and the US "will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation's martyrs".
Security has been on high alert, with riot police deployed and nearby roads blocked.
Elsewhere in Tehran, a large park was transformed into a camp, with hundreds of Red Crescent tents set up on the grounds.
Authorities are deeply aware of the risk of crowd crushes, which have marred similar events in the past, with TV broadcasting guidelines on how to stay safe.
With temperatures well over 35 degrees expected over the next few days in Tehran, tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down the participants.
Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran's notorious traffic.
Some residents who spoke to AFP journalists based in Paris said they were leaving the city.
"The roads leading out of Tehran are packed," said tech worker Saeid, 29.
A. Bogdanow--BTZ
