The funeral procession for Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Monday, with state television reporting that authorities were expecting huge crowds to gather and pay their respects.
Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, had ruled the Islamic Republic for over three-and-a-half decades. His body has been lying in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex.
The ceremonies offer Iran an opportunity to project resilience after five weeks of war with the United States and Israel. However, attention remains focused on Khamenei's successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking power.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named supreme leader shortly after his father's killing but has yet to appear in public. Officials have said he was wounded in the airstrikes but the severity of his injuries remains unclear.
The new commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, appeared at the funerals for a second time, this time in the open air, after he went unseen throughout the war.
Iranian authorities have been keen to present a united front, but none of President Masoud Pezeshkian's surviving predecessors, who had tensions in their relationship with Khamenei, have so far been seen at the ceremonies.
The government is also eager to tout the mass mobilisation in support of the authorities after mass protests in January that rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people.
The Middle East war is on hold following a ceasefire and an initial accord struck with the US. Both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume military action.
The post-Khamenei era is likely to be shaped by his son Mojtaba and the Revolutionary Guards, who have been instrumental in suppressing dissent in Iran.
As the funeral procession makes its way through the capital, authorities are taking precautions to prevent a repeat of the chaos that marred Khomeini's funeral in 1989.
Mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.
The crowd surge during Khomeini's funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000. Massive concrete walls have been erected to prevent stampedes.
The exact level of access and proximity the public will have during the procession remains unclear, but authorities are mindful of the risks.
The funeral procession is a chance for Iran's authorities to burnish their resilience after five weeks at war with Israel and the United States. The burial will take place in Khamenei's hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
Three of Ali Khamenei's sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on Sunday, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei.
The government is also eager to tout the mass mobilisation in support of the authorities after mass protests in January that rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people.
The Middle East war is on hold following a ceasefire and an initial accord struck with the US. Both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume military action.
The post-Khamenei era is likely to be shaped by his son Mojtaba and the Revolutionary Guards, who have been instrumental in suppressing dissent in Iran.
Mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.
'Demand revenge'
The government is keen to present a united front, but none of President Masoud Pezeshkian's surviving predecessors, who had tensions in their relationship with Khamenei, have so far been seen at the ceremonies.
A 38-year-old man who gave his surname as Miremadi told AFP at the prayers on Sunday: 'The killers (of Khamenei) must face punishment.'
A woman, 39, with the surname Bakand, added: 'We back our revolution and our leader, and we demand revenge for the blood of our loved ones.'
'Resilience'
The funeral procession is a chance for Iran's authorities to burnish their resilience after five weeks at war with Israel and the United States. The burial will take place in Khamenei's hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
Three of Ali Khamenei's sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on Sunday, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei.
Iranian authorities have been keen to present a united front, but none of President Masoud Pezeshkian's surviving predecessors, who had tensions in their relationship with Khamenei, have so far been seen at the ceremonies.
'Proud and invincible nation'
Parliament speaker and chief negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, hailed on X the way the 'proud and invincible nation of Islamic Iran unanimously' paid tribute to its 'martyr'.
The ceremonies will continue in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.