Iran has commenced several days of public mourning and funeral processions for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel.
The former Ayatollah’s body will lie in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla from Friday, ahead of his burial in his hometown of Mashhad next Thursday.
Iranian authorities said 12 to 20 million people were expected to attend, which they are calling the “funeral of the century”.
It comes as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt their conflict in June.
Six days of ceremonies will start at 06:00 (03:30 BST) on Saturday, at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, which visitors can visit to pay their respects until Sunday afternoon.
There will be an official funeral ceremony in Tehran on Saturday, which the Tehran-based Mohammad Rasulullah Corps is leading.
The group’s commander Hassan Hassanzadeh said Khamenei’s coffin would be displayed on an elevated platform, with crowd flows designed to allow visitors to enter and leave within 15 to 20 minutes.
Khamenei’s body will lie in the Grand Mosalla for three days, alongside the remains of family members who were also killed in the US and Israeli strikes in February.
