Funeral arrangements announced for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died at age 86 following strikes by Israel and the United States in late February, will be honored with multi-day funeral ceremonies. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has called for mass public attendance at memorial services starting in Tehran on Saturday. Official events are scheduled from July 3 to July 9, involving locations in Iran and Iraq. A ceremony for foreign dignitaries is planned in Tehran on July 3, followed by public viewings at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla on July 4 and 5, and a funeral procession on July 6. Further ceremonies will occur in Qom on July 7, in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala on July 8, and concluding in Mashhad on July 9. Khamenei is expected to be interred at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. Iranian authorities anticipate millions of attendees, though the delayed nature of the ceremonies has prompted criticism and inquiries regarding the status of his successor.