Khamenei's body lies in state in Tehran ahead of funeral

The body of Iran's supreme leader has arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla ahead of his funeral, according to state media. The ceremony is expected to draw large crowds and foreign dignitaries, with the public funeral due tomorrow. The development comes after Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war.

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Photos showed mourners carrying his coffin, draped in Iran's tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the Islamic republic's main ceremonial venues. Other images showed crowds at a pre-funeral gathering dressed in black, with the coffin placed amid red flowers and white butterflies. Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, made his first appearance since the start of the war in February and paid his respects at the coffin, according to Iranian media footage.

Preparations for the public funeral had initially been delayed at the height of the conflict. They are now taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the fighting. Workers were seen readying the Grand Mosalla yesterday, while security teams stopped passing cars and bystanders watched from nearby streets.

A worker quoted in local coverage said the site was being prepared for the farewell ceremony of what he called the country's martyred guide. The funeral has significance beyond a domestic state ceremony because it comes at a sensitive moment in the conflict's aftermath. Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also speaker of parliament, has called for a large turnout and said the nation's call for vengeance should be heard around the world.

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The event is also likely to be watched closely by regional and international actors because it follows direct strikes on a senior Iranian figure and a fragile pause in hostilities. Pakistan, which has acted as a key mediator in US-Iran talks, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the ceremony. China, Afghanistan and Iran's neighbours in the Caucasus region have also said they will send representatives.

The expected attendance underlines the diplomatic weight of the funeral and the wider effort to manage the conflict's political fallout. Khamenei, who was 86, was a spiritual figure for many Shia Muslims and a central figure in Iran's political and religious system. He will lie in state for three days at the Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners carrying his images and quotations.

What remains unclear is how large the turnout will be, how the ceremony will be secured, and whether the fragile ceasefire will hold as regional tensions remain high.

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