Iran prepares for dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

By — Nasser Karimi, Associated Press Nasser Karimi, Associated Press By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-prepares-for-dayslong-funeral-for-late-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Iran prepares for dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei World Jul 3, 2026 4:21 PM EDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with banners across Tehran urging the public to rise up in support of the Islamic Republic after the devastating war that killed the 86-year-old cleric . The country's theocracy expects to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning Saturday in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. READ MORE: Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a 'forceful response' That could provide a boost for Iran's government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war, and as concern still lingers that Israel could attack yet again. Despite that, a powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months for the funeral. Other top government officials will also likely will be on hand alongside foreign dignitaries in a show of strength by Iran. Volunteers prepare food distribution booths for visitors near the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, the venue for a farewell ceremony for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on February 28, in Tehran, Iran, July 3, 2026. Photo by Murad Sezer/ Reuters "As long as these people, who are chosen (by God), are on the field, we will definitely continue the same 'no to humiliation' policy that was founded by the Islamic Republic," said Mohammad Hossein Rezaei, a volunteer preparing for the funeral Friday. "We will continue our policy of pursuing independence, and decisions will be made inside the country, and the people will decide their own fate," he said. Caskets displayed in Tehran Khamenei's flag-draped coffin sat at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside family members killed in the Israeli airstrike that came in the first moments of the war on Feb. 28. The dead being honored include a son-in-law, his eldest daughter, a 14-month-old granddaughter and the wife of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the previous leader who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the attack. Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries walked up to Khamenei's casket as a military band played or a man sang prayers. Iran's Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshk