Hundreds of thousands of mourners filled the streets of Tehran on Monday as Iran held the central funeral procession for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , with authorities describing the turnout as one of the largest public gatherings in the country's history.
The procession followed two days of public mourning at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosalla and marked the main event in six days of funeral ceremonies before Khamenei's body is taken to the holy city of Qom, then to Iraq's shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala , before returning to Mashhad for burial.
Iranian state media said the funeral cortege would travel about 18 kilometres across the capital, from Damavand Street in eastern Tehran, through Imam Hussein Square and Revolution Square, to Azadi Square in the west.
Authorities said the journey was expected to take around 12 hours because of the size of the crowds.
State television broadcast aerial footage showing vast numbers of mourners lining the route as a truck carrying the coffins of Khamenei and four members of his family slowly made its way through the capital. Fire engines sprayed water over the crowds to help ease the summer heat.
Mourners chanted slogans against the United States and Israel, while many carried Iranian flags, portraits of Khamenei and banners calling for revenge following his assassination at the start of the US- Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.
Some demonstrators displayed English-language placards reading "Kill Trump" and "There Will Be Blood", while others threw stones at a billboard depicting US President Donald Trump. Several US, British and Israeli flags were also burned during the procession.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the funeral as "not a farewell to the late leader, but a pledge to continue his path."
"The world has witnessed this immense public participation," he told Iranian television. "These tears cannot be commanded. They come from genuine grief and pain."
Officials said the previous two days of mourning concluded without any deaths or serious injuries despite the scale of the crowds.
Mohammad Esmail Tavakkoli, head of the medical emergency committee overseeing the ceremonies, said more than 2,500 medical personnel had provided nearly 16,000 medical services to participants, with teams remaining deployed until the procession concludes.
Later this week, Khamenei's body will be taken to the Iranian holy city of Qom before travelling to Iraq for processions through Najaf and Karbala, two of Shia Islam's holiest cities. It will then return to Iran for burial at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad.
The funeral has become both a national mourning ceremony and a symbolic display of Iran's political and religious influence, coming after the war with Israel and the United States ended in a fragile ceasefire last month. Iranian officials have portrayed the ceremonies as a demonstration of national unity and resilience in the face of external pressure.