Crowds gather as six-day funeral for former Iranian supreme leader begins

Mourners at the start of six-days of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and members of his family at the Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP View image in fullscreen Mourners at the start of six-days of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and members of his family at the Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP Crowds gather as six-day funeral for former Iranian supreme leader begins Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and Israel The funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader has begun as the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners early morning who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds. Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. By 5.30am on Saturday the streets surrounding the mosque were already full as Iranians, some travelling for hours and many carrying flags, made their way to an event designed to emphasise the country’s sense of loss at the killing of the supreme leader and desire for revenge against the west. Khamenei was assassinated by Israeli jet planes, and the giant raised stage showing his coffin also found room for other members of his family killed in the raid, including his 14 month old granddaughter. By 8am, the open air mosque contained more than 10,000 people, segregated with men to the right and women to the left. The scale of the six-day funeral has been conceived to relay political and religious messages of resistance to the rest of the world. As many as 30 million people may attend. At the request of Iraqi politicians, Khamenei’s body will also be carried through the Iraqi Shia cities of Kerbala and Najaf. View image in fullscreen A mourner holds an image of Ali Khamenei above her head at the start of funeral ceremonies in Tehran. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images As religious songs and music used in the martyrs ceremony blared out, even in the areas reserved for the media, grown men sat cross-legged, sobbing uncontrollably for long periods. Metres away, reporters tended their instagram accounts, with selfies showing the mass of mourners behind. Officials, eager to avoid the crushes that have marred previous funerals in Iran, urged mourners not to remain in the mosque for too long, so as to ensure the crowd did not build to dangerously high numbers. In the surrounding streets, banners stretched across the road proclaiming Khamenei’s martyrdom and his indelible place in Iranian history. The yellow flags of Hezbollah were visible at the funeral, while the flag of Iran was festooned around mourners shoulders as if they were on the way to a football match. Hundreds of mokebs (food stations) offered free boiled eggs, halim soup