Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest religious leader in Iran, was killed alongside four family members in an airstrike by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026. On Monday, four months later, Iran held a massive funeral procession in Tehran, with the government saying millions of people lined the streets IRNA.

The procession lasted about 12 hours, moving through Tehran with trucks carrying the caskets IRNA. Family members of Khamenei walked in the procession, which the government presented as both a national ceremony and a family funeral IRNA. International news outlets showed video of the packed streets Guardian. The procession passed through Azadi Square, a place historically used for major government events and large public gatherings IRNA.

The funeral is not only happening in Tehran. It is scheduled to continue in two other major cities: Qom on Tuesday, July 7, and Mashhad on Thursday, July 9. Qom is Iran's primary center for training clergy and Islamic teaching. Mashhad is home to one of Islam's holiest shrines IRNA. The government expects millions to attend in each city IRNA.

Why these three cities? They represent different parts of Iran's religious system. Tehran is the center of political power. Qom is where religious leaders study and teach. Mashhad is where ordinary Iranians come to worship at a sacred shrine. By holding the funeral in all three places over one week, the government is treating this as a national event, not just a government ceremony. Similar multi-city funerals were held for other important Iranian leaders in 1989 and 2020.

How many people actually attended? The Iranian government says millions. International news agencies like France 24 say the crowds were very large France24. But it is hard for outside observers to count exactly how many people were there, since Iran controls what information gets out. The crowds we know about come mainly from what the Iranian government reported.

Now comes the harder question: who will lead Iran next? No foreign power has ever killed a sitting Supreme Leader of Iran before. This is new territory. Iran has a constitutional process for choosing a new Supreme Leader—a group of elected clergy called the Assembly of Experts makes that decision. But there is no sign yet that this process has started. The funeral happens first; the decision comes later.

A country in mourning operates differently than one making big decisions. How Iran's military leaders react, how the clergy organize themselves, and how Iran responds to the countries that killed Khamenei are the real stories to watch once the funeral ends. What happens after the caskets reach their final resting place will matter far more than the crowds in the streets.