Overview
- Vast crowds across Iran held 40th‑day mourning ceremonies Thursday for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reported killed in the February 28 US‑Israeli strikes, with President Masoud Pezeshkian joining mourners in central Tehran.
- State outlets said marchers pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, the designated successor, as events stretched into the evening in hundreds of cities.
- Iran’s ambassador in Turkmenistan said the grief has hardened national will, while highlighting official claims that 168 schoolgirls and teachers died in Minab during the strikes.
- The commemorations unfolded under a two‑week ceasefire that President Donald Trump announced Monday, with Pakistani mediation expected to bring the sides to talks as early as Friday.
- An Iranian delegation visited Amritsar to invite top Sikh leaders to a memorial in New Delhi on April 12, signaling outreach abroad alongside the domestic displays of unity.