Iran prepares massive security op for Khamenei funeral

After months of delay, Iran slated to hold massive funeral service for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the Basij militia gearing up to secure the event.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran is preparing a large, multi-city funeral for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with authorities mobilizing security forces and logistics teams ahead of his scheduled July 9 burial in Mashhad, more than four months after he was killed in a US-Israeli strike.

The ceremonies are expected to begin in Tehran on July 4, with public mourning events at the capital’s Mosalla prayer complex before a procession through the city.

Additional ceremonies are planned in Qom and in the Iraqi Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before Khamenei is buried in his hometown of Mashhad at the Imam Reza shrine.

Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until his death, was killed on February 28 in the opening stage of the war with the United States and Israel. Iran initially planned to hold his funeral in March, but the ceremony was postponed as the conflict continued.

The long delay has drawn attention because Islamic burial practice generally calls for prompt burial.

Fox News, citing counterterrorism expert Dr. Mohammed Omar, reported that Khamenei’s remains were likely preserved through refrigerated storage rather than chemical embalming.

“The mechanism is almost certainly refrigerated cold storage,” Omar said.

He said a delay of several months would not be unusual for Iranian forensic facilities, adding that “four months in freezing is not exotic.”

Iranian officials have framed the delayed funeral as a major national event and a display of continuity after months of war and uncertainty.

Yaqoub Soleimani, a senior official at the Martyrs Foundation and one of the ceremony organizers, said the funeral would be carried out “with full grandeur,” according to Fox News.

Soleimani said a turnout of 1 million people would make the event “a historical occasion” and “a national epic in the memory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Other estimates cited by Iranian and international outlets have been far larger. Euronews reported that Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani predicted that around 20 million people could attend events in the capital, calling it “the largest gathering in the city’s history.”

Security planning has become a central concern for Iranian authorities.

Iran International reported that the funeral is expected to involve one of the largest security operations in the Islamic Republic’s history, with officials seeking to avoid a repeat of deadly crowd disasters at earlier state funerals.

The 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini descended into chaos when mourners surged toward the coffin, forcing authorities to evacuate the body by helicopter and delay burial.

In 2020, at least 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a crowd crush in Kerman during funeral events for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani.

Iran International reported that officials have emphasized crowd control, the protection of senior officials and the movement of Khamenei’s coffin through multiple cities in two countries. Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, described the funeral as “the most important event of the 21st century.”

Fox News reported that the Basij militia, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is expected to play a major role in the security and logistics operation.

Omar described the preparations as “a mobilization dressed as a funeral,” saying the heavy involvement of the Basij and IRGC was itself politically significant.

Foreign attendance is expected to include senior Iraqi officials, while representation from major powers appears limited.

Fox News reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, but India is expected to send a lower-level delegation. Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili is also expected to attend.