Overview
- The official funeral opened Saturday in Tehran and will run through July 9 with public ceremonies planned in Qom, visits to Shiite shrines in Iraq and a burial in Mashhad.
- Authorities have deployed tens of thousands of security personnel, closed parts of Tehran’s airspace and declared public holidays to manage large crowds that officials say could number in the millions.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stark warning that any ‘miscalculation’ around the events will be met with a harsher response, raising concerns about escalation while a ceasefire with the United States remains fragile.
- Modschtaba Chamenei, named his father’s successor in early March, has not appeared publicly during the first two days of ceremonies, deepening questions about visible leadership and succession within the regime.
- Foreign delegations from roughly 30 countries attended the opening events as the government uses the programme to signal regional ties and to try to shore up domestic legitimacy after this year’s deadly protests and the weeks-long war triggered by Chamenei’s killing on February 28.