Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, assassinated in US and Israeli strikes, will be held in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, the Iraqi government announced on Thursday.
Government spokesman Maj Gen Saad Maan said Mr Khamenei’s body would arrive on July 7 at the airport in Najaf, where an official funeral would take place. Another funeral for mourners will be held on Wednesday in the city, followed by ceremonies in Karbala.
A source within Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella group of mainly Iran-backed Shiite militias, said the bodies of Mr Khamenei’s relatives would be brought with him, but would have a separate funeral procession.
Najaf is home to the Shrine of Imam Ali, the Prophet Mohammed's cousin and son-in-law. Two of Imam Ali's sons, Imam Hussain and Abbas, are buried in Karbala.
Iraq’s role in the funeral procession was confirmed last month by Baghdad and Tehran. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi said mourners in Iraq would be able to see Mr Khamenei’s body in Baghdad’s Kadhimiyah district and then in Najaf and Karbala, all home to shrines of revered Shiite imams.
However, “due to limited time”, the procession will skip the Baghdad stop, Maj Gen Maan told reporters at a press conference.
The Iraq stage is part of a multi-city funeral schedule announced by Iran’s Commemoration Committee. Ceremonies are planned in Tehran from July 4-5 as well as a procession on July 6, Qom on July 7, Iraq on July 8, and a final burial on July 9 at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Mr Khamenei’s birthplace.
Organisers described the cross-border route as one of the most extensive state funerals in the Islamic Republic’s history. Iraqi officials said logistical preparations were under way in co-ordination with the Iranian Embassy, with millions of mourners expected from Iraq and neighbouring countries.
Mr Khamenei, 86, was killed on February 28 during the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Funeral plans were postponed during the war.
