Wednesday marks the fifth day of the massive public farewell funeral processions of its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli air strike in February.
It began with a state memorial service last Friday, attended by heads of state and government, parliament speakers, foreign ministers and government representatives at Tehran’s Grand Musalla Prayer Hall.
Since then, huge crowds of mourners and supporters have paid their respects to the late leader in the capital Tehran and the holy city of Qom.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shaped the Islamic Republic’s domestic and foreign policies longer than any other political figure of his generation. To demonstrate this, part of his procession is taking place in Iraq. Late on Tuesday, his body was transferred to the holy city of Najaf, with an official ceremony attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
On Wednesday, processions are being held in Najaf and Karbala. Both cities hold significance for Shia Muslims: Najaf is home to the mausoleum of Imam Ali, the first Shia Imam, and serves as the centre of Shia religious seminaries. Many senior Shia clerics have spent time there, including Khamenei's predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Karbala, meanwhile, is home to the shrine of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, the third Shia imam. Hussein’s death in the seventh century is central to Shia history.
Around 4,000 buses and six special train services are transporting people to Karbala, Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency reported.
Besides being a political figure, Khamenei was a grand ayatollah, a top religious status in Shia Islam signifying the highest level of scholarship in Islamic law.
His status also transcends historical differences between Iran and Iraq. Between 1980 and 1988, the former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein waged a war against Tehran, when the Islamic Republic was barely two years old, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Both countries have said that the funeral procession in Iraq is a sign of solidarity. 11 provinces in Iraq are observing public holidays on Wednesday and Thursday for people to mourn the late supreme leader.
The week-long processions will end on Thursday in the city of Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown. His body will be laid to rest at the shrine of the Eighth Imam of Shiites.
Meanwhile, Pakistani media had reported that the third round of Tehran-Washington ceasefire talks -- deferred because of the funeral procession -- will be held on 14 to 15 July in Islamabad. However, considering recent events, that date may be further delayed.
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