Iran begins week of funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Khamenei

What Happened

Iran began a week of funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on February 28, the first day of the war. Khamenei’s body, along with the coffins of three family members also killed in the strike, lay in state at the Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran on Friday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and IRGC head Ahmad Vahidi—making his first appearance since the war began—were among top officials paying respects. Over 50 foreign delegations, mainly from neutral or friendly states, attended; European countries were not invited. Authorities expect millions of mourners to join processions in Tehran, Qom, the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and Khamenei’s birthplace of Mashhad, with burial planned for next week.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The funeral serves as a state-orchestrated display of unity and resilience following the assassination of the supreme leader, framing the US-Israeli strike as having backfired by rallying domestic support rather than causing regime collapse. The mass turnout and international participation—while pointedly excluding European states—project Iran’s continued influence and the solidarity of its allies, while reinforcing a narrative of defiance against its adversaries.

Watch For

The burial in Mashhad next week and the scale of public turnout as a measure of domestic sentiment. Any statements from Pezeshkian, Vahidi, or other officials during the ceremonies that may signal Iran’s military or diplomatic posture toward the US and Israel. The IRGC’s visibility and Vahidi’s reemergence as indicators of the security establishment’s post-war consolidation.