Agencies | Tehran:
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf broke down in tears during the farewell ceremony for the country’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on Friday.
Standing with his hands clasped in prayer, Ghalibaf became visibly emotional as he paid his final respects to Khamenei, whose funeral ceremonies began in the Iranian capital.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 in coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, according to Iranian authorities. The attack, which also claimed the lives of several of his family members, triggered a major regional conflict.
Among the family members killed was Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, Khamenei’s 14-month-old granddaughter.
Ghalibaf, who has also served as Iran’s chief negotiator in indirect talks with the United States, stood alongside Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials during the ceremony. Araghchi also appeared emotional as mourners gathered to bid farewell to the late Supreme Leader.
Khamenei’s coffin was brought to Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, draped in the colours of the Islamic Republic he led for more than three decades.
Ghalibaf Calls for Public Participation
Addressing the nation, Ghalibaf urged Iranians to attend the funeral ceremonies in large numbers, describing the public turnout as a response to Khamenei’s assassination.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” he said.
High Security as Millions Expected to Attend
Iranian authorities have placed the country on high alert as an estimated 15 to 20 million people are expected to participate in the six-day funeral ceremonies, with security significantly tightened across Tehran and other key locations.
A funeral procession is scheduled to pass through the streets of Tehran on Monday before moving to the holy city of Qom, about 140 kilometres southwest of the capital and regarded as Iran’s leading centre of Shia Islamic scholarship.
On July 9, the procession will continue to Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown, where he will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine. Memorial ceremonies are also expected to be held in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala during the intervening days.
