“Seriously, what did they put in that coffin?”
That was the message the State of Israel’s official Persian-language account on X posted on Friday, while Tehran held state ceremonies for its dead leader. Hours later the account followed up with a second jab, this one at the size of the crowds: “Many people come too – not to mourn, but to make sure he’s really dead.”
The posts landed as dignitaries filed past the coffin of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The late Supreme Leader was killed on February 28 in a coordinated strike by the United States and Israel.
A weeklong send-off begins
AFP reported that Iran’s top officials opened a week of memorial ceremonies on Friday. Allies from abroad and mourners from across the country poured into the capital, where Khamenei’s body lies in state. Authorities there expect the processions and viewings to draw millions before the burial, set for next week.
AFP photographs showed mourners holding the coffin inside the Grand Mosalla, the large religious complex in Tehran. It was wrapped in the Islamic Republic’s flag, the state Khamenei ruled for more than three decades.
State television showed President Masoud Pezeshkian paying his respects at the casket on Friday afternoon. Beside him stood Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s chief negotiator. He was filmed in tears.
Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi turned up too. It was his first public appearance since fighting broke out in February.
Who came to Tehran
Foreign guests included Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has repeatedly played go-between for Iran and the United States in efforts to cool the wider Middle East war. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended, as did the foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Hamas and Hezbollah, both Iranian proxies, sent delegations to the compound before the public ceremonies.
Roughly 30 countries were expected to send delegations for the official services. China and neighboring Caucasus states confirmed they would send representatives.
City organizers prepared Tehran for the influx with nationalist displays. Security was tightened sharply, and large portraits of Khamenei, along with quotations from his speeches, hung on the outer walls of the Grand Mosalla.
