The Great Mosalla of Tehran Since early this morning, it has welcomed the hundreds of thousands of people who have begun to gather to bid farewell to the mortal remains of the supreme leader Ali Khameneisecond leader of the Islamic Revolution, died at 86 years old the past February 28 in a combined attack Israel and the United States.
Iranian authorities expect a unprecedented concentration during the three days of processions that will take place in the country’s capital, and that will continue throughout the week. After Monday’s procession (which could welcome more than 20 million people), Khamenei’s body will be transferred to Qom and finally to the holy city and hometown of Mashhad, where his mortal remains will be deposited in the shrine of Imam Reza. In between, however, the coffin will make a stop in the Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf so that the country’s Shiites can say goodbye.
The coffin and the ceremony
On a podium at the entrance to the mosque is the coffin that houses Khamenei’s lifeless body, which rests at the top of a pyramid of methacrylate cubes on whose steps are distributed the mortal remains of the Ayatollah’s family, also killed in the attack carried out by Israeli fighter jets on Tehran as part of the beginning of the combined offensive with the United States.
He iranian national anthem has opened the ceremony around the 06:00 local timewhen attendees have begun to enter the venue with national flags, images of Khamenei and photos of his son Mojtaba, successor as supreme leader who has not yet appeared in public, amid suspicions that he is still seriously injured by the attacks.
Message from the Iranian president
The Iranian president, Masud Pezeshkianhighlighted on Thursday that the country “is preparing to say goodbye to the true servant of Islam and the revolution” and called on the population to show “national unity” and “loyalty” to the Islamic Republic with a share “historical” at funerals, which will bring together millions of people. “The martyrdom of the great leader of Iran has plunged all our people, the Islamic nation and all the free peoples of the world into deep pain.”
In this sense, he stressed that Khamenei’s death “is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new chapter of solidarity, perseverance and growth of a nation that always moves towards tomorrow, more united, firmer and more hopeful, even in the face of the most difficult tests.”
Extensive international presence
Representatives from various countries have been present at these events in Tehran, such as Iraqwhich has had one of the largest delegations, with the president of Parliament, Mahmud al Mashhadani, or the president of Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani.
One of the countries with the highest presence has been Pakistanwith the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the head of the Armed Forces, Asim Munir. Saudi Arabia has sent the deputy foreign minister, Walid al Juraiyi, while Oman He has been represented by the president of the Council of State and president of Parliament, Hasan bin Abdullah al Ghanim. Representatives of the Shiite community from Bahrain and other countries in the Persian Gulf have also participated from the area.
By Russia Dimitri Medvedev has been there, accompanied by representatives of Belarus, Serbia and Bulgaria. Latin America has sent representatives from Cuba, with its Minister of Education, Walter Baluja García, and from Nicaragua, with its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Valdrack Jaentschke.
Gratitude from the Iranian Government
The Iranian Government has highlighted the “significant presence” of foreign religious representatives and “high-ranking delegations from around the world”“a clear example of the dignity and greatness of the martyred leader and the noble nation of Iran.”
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thus expressed its “gratitude” to all foreign guests who, “despite pressures and threats, stood on the right side of history and paid tribute to truth and justice by participating in the farewell ceremony of our martyred leader.”
