Thousands of citizens, alongside senior Iranian officials, gathered today in Tehran for the grand funeral prayer in memory of the country’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as part of the second day of mourning ceremonies. The prayer, which lasted approximately 10 minutes, was led by Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old ayatollah who teaches in the holy city of Qom.
In the front row before Khamenei’s coffin, alongside the thousands of mourners who continued to pour into the vast Grand Mosalla complex where the funeral rites are being held, stood Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliamentary speaker and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, and General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Beginning of prayers over the holy body of the martyred Imam, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei💔#Iran #MartyrKhamenei #WeMustRise#KhameneiTheGreat
Lebanon
US and Israel#IsraelisaTerroristsState pic.twitter.com/T1f2IqyECt— MaryMorty (@mary_morty) July 5, 2026
Also present were Ahmad Vahidi, the Revolutionary Guards commander since the start of the war, who was greeted warmly by the crowd, along with three of Ali Khamenei’s sons — Masoud, Mostafa, and Meysam — according to footage broadcast by Iranian state television.
56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei notably absent
Conspicuously absent, however, was 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader in March and has not made a single public appearance since.
Ali Khamenei’s coffin — draped in the Iranian flag and bearing his black turban — has been on public display since Saturday at the Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran. Alongside it lie the coffins of family members killed in the same strike: a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and a 14-month-old granddaughter. The Grand Mosalla was packed with mourners this morning, as were the surrounding streets, according to an AFP correspondent on the ground.
Today’s crowd at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla marked the first public sendoff for the slain Ayatollah Khamenei, ahead of street processions in Iran and Iraq. The ceremony mixed mourning, rage, and an effort to cement the elder Khamenei’s worldview through slogans and symbolism. pic.twitter.com/thoL3Ab1fa
— Sina Toossi (@SinaToossi) July 4, 2026
Prayers were recited for the blessed body of the martyred Imam and Mujahid, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along with his family members, including fourteen-month-old Zahra, all of whom were martyred in the US-Israeli strike on the Leader’s home. pic.twitter.com/w7a0Cjm3jl
— Iran In Hyderabad (@IraninHyderabad) July 5, 2026
Iranian flags and red flags — symbolizing vengeance and justice — rise above the crowd. Some mourners carry portraits of the late leader. Along the procession route, refreshments are being distributed as temperatures are expected to climb back above 35°C later in the day.
Today and tomorrow, Monday, have been declared public holidays across Iran so that those who wish to travel to Tehran may pay their respects to Ali Khamenei in person. Authorities estimate that a total of 15 to 20 million people are expected to attend.
