Thousands of Iranians filled Tehran’s streets on Saturday to grieve Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike in February, while across the globe the United States marked its 250th Independence Day.
The turnout is expected to be the biggest public gathering since nationwide demonstrations in December and January, when Iranians protested worsening living conditions.
Iranian officials anticipated that between 10 million and 15 million people could participate in the days-long memorial events held in Khamenei’s honor.
Analysts said authorities, described as “afraid and weak,” had postponed the funeral rites for months because of security fears.
The memorials are taking place at the same time as July 4 celebrations in the US, against the backdrop of delicate peace negotiations aimed at ending the 109-day Iran war.
President Donald Trump said Washington had given Iran “the week” off as the country entered its mourning period for Khamenei.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran and they’re dying to settle,” Trump said Friday night during remarks at Mount Rushmore. “We gave them a week off for a funeral, isn’t that nice.”
State funeral ceremonies were scheduled to open in the prayer hall of Imam Khomenei, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979, before a procession set for July 6. Khomenei’s own 1989 funeral drew as many as 10 million mourners and was marred by stampedes that left dozens dead.
Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
He helped form the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, which hold enormous sway in Iran and are credited with orchestrating attacks on its neighbors and funding terror proxy groups abroad.
A state newspaper carried threats against the US in his name as recently as Monday.
Another service is set for July 7 in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, with a burial set for July 9 in Khamenei’s hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.
Khamenei will be buried at the shrine of Imam Reza, a holy place for Shiite Muslims.
Huge banners of Khamenei could be seen in the days leading up to the funeral at the sprawling Grand Mosalla in Tehran, home to the city’s Friday prayers.
Dozens of foreign leaders gathered on Friday, although the US did not send a representative.
Funeral services for Khamenei’s daughter and son-in-law, who were also killed with him in the deadly Feb. 28 strike, were scheduled to coincide with his.
After Khamenei’s death, Iran has been ruled by his wounded and disfigured son Mojtaba Khamenei, whom President Trump called “more rational” than his father.
It wasn’t known whether the Supreme Leader, who has not been seen in public since assuming power, would attend the funeral rites.
Khamenei’s rule included violent crackdowns that killed thousands of Iranians in the last year, and the development of a series of secret underground nuclear facilities.
