TEHRAN, July 6. /TASS/. TASS correspondents have observed a large-scale procession carrying the bodies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his family members on Azadi Street.
A truck carrying the bodies of Khamenei and his family members, shrouded in mourning cloth inscribed with verses from the Quran, was surrounded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and soldiers who cleared a path for the funeral procession. Iranians could not hold back their tears, with both men and women overcome with grief. Over 200 foreign reporters observed the ceremony from the city hall’s roof.
Security for the event was ensured by several thousand police officers and military personnel. To prevent overcrowding, law enforcement officers kept the flow of people separated. Many families with children were among those in attendance.
From the capital, the leader’s body will be taken to the city of Qom, Iran’s main religious center. On July 8, it will be transported onward to neighboring Iraq, where separate farewell ceremonies will be held in Karbala and Najaf. The funeral is scheduled for July 9 in Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad, home to the Imam Reza Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam.