Thousands of mourners joined funeral processions for Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, as days-long ceremonies continued for the late supreme leader. The events unfolded as fighting between Iran and the United States threatened to further destabilise a fragile agreement meant to end the wider conflict.
The ceremonies began on Saturday in Tehran, where authorities shut roads, closed airspace and brought daily life to a halt as crowds gathered to mark the life of the man who led Iran for decades while confronting the West. His body was later taken to Najaf and then to Karbala, before it is returned to Iran. Talks to end the war between the United States and Iran appeared to be on hold until after the burial.
Khamenei was killed in late February in large-scale US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began the war. The 86-year-old was among several senior Iranian leaders killed during the conflict. Even as the funeral ceremonies continued, strikes by both sides in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday and into Wednesday raised the risk that the interim agreement to end the months-long war could break down completely.
The US military attacked Iran early on Wednesday after saying Tehran had struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then launched retaliatory strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.
Khamenei’s body arrived in Najaf on Tuesday. Considered one of the holiest cities for millions of Shiite Muslims around the world, Najaf saw mourners carrying portraits of Khamenei as they received the body and senior Iranian officials escorting it, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The body was placed in a casket draped in the Islamic Republic’s flag and enclosed in glass.
Some supporters beat themselves on the streets, while others waved Iranian flags as well as red and black flags associated with mourning and revenge. Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim, a senior scholar at the Najaf seminary, led funeral prayers at the Shrine of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.
As the coffin was carried into the shrine, large crowds pushed forward to get close to it. Some flung themselves onto the casket as attendants struggled to control the crowd and urged the pallbearers to carry it lower, fearing it might fall. “We, the people of Iraq, will remain a thorn in the eyes of the enemies,” funeral attendee Jaafar Jawad said. “(His body arriving here) is the greatest possible honour, and God willing, we will be loyal and repay a little of his debt in the holy city of Najaf.”
The body later reached Karbala, another holy city for Shiites, where Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet, was killed in 680 AD. Thousands of supporters gathered in the desert heat in and around the shrine, where Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei, a representative of Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority, led prayers.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared at the funeral ceremonies, which are continuing over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. The funeral in Iraq has drawn large crowds in Najaf and Karbala as the region remains on edge over renewed military action and stalled efforts to end the war.
With PTI Inputs
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