Hundreds of thousands of people filled Tehran's main square on Monday, July 6, 2026, as the coffin of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was driven through the city in what became the largest gathering of a funeral that had been planned for four months NYT Live. Khamenei led Iran as its Supreme Leader for 37 years before he was killed in an airstrike in February 2026 Reuters. His body had been kept since his death on February 28, with burial pushed back months by the disruption of ongoing war before authorities set a final date Kurdistan24.

The ceremonies in Tehran took place over three days, July 4 to July 6 CNBC. The first public events started on July 4 at a large mosque called the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where Iran's military helped with the logistics. The funeral prayers happened on July 6 at the same place Press TV. By the time the coffin reached the main square, it had passed through days of crowds filling Tehran's streets New York Times. The procession also carried the remains of family members who died in the same airstrike IRNA.

Memorial events began in Tehran on Friday, July 3, with officials from many countries attending IRNA. Foreign journalists, including reporters from the New York Times, were allowed to cover the funeral but had to do so with Iranian government oversight—which meant not everything about crowd numbers could be checked by independent observers NYT Video.

The funeral procession visited at least five cities across Iran before going to Iraq New York Times. The route included the city of Qom on July 7, then Najaf and Karbala in Iraq on July 8, with burial finally taking place on July 9 in the city of Mashhad at the shrine of Imam Reza CNBC IRNA.

Iraq prepared carefully for the funeral. In the city of Najaf, planners created a six-kilometer route for the procession, while Karbala prepared a 5.8-kilometer route Press TV. Iraqi officials positioned 150 ambulances across both cities. A major Iraqi militia group that supports Iran asked Iraqis to participate in large numbers Press TV. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, planned to attend the funeral events in Iraq in person Press TV.

Why did the funeral visit these specific Iraqi cities? Najaf and Karbala are among the holiest places in Shia Islam—a major branch of Islam that has deep roots in both Iran and Iraq. By taking Khamenei's coffin through these cities before the final burial, Iran's leaders were showing the connection between their country and the wider Shia Muslim world across the border. They also had to prepare for large crowds. Iraqi authorities deployed many ambulances because past religious gatherings in these cities have sometimes ended in tragedy when too many people gathered in tight spaces.

One thing that stands out is how long the process took. Khamenei died in February, but was not buried until July—four months later. In Shia Muslim tradition, people are usually buried within days. The long delay shows how much the ongoing war disrupted normal life in Iran during those months. News coverage from the funeral was happening alongside other war-related news, showing that Iran remains in a period of conflict CNN. Who will become Iran's next Supreme Leader is a question that has not been answered publicly. Yet by holding this funeral in so many cities and crossing into Iraq, Iran's government was sending a message: despite everything, our leadership continues.