Iran on Saturday began a dayslong state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the recent war. He was 86.
Thousands of mourners gathered at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where Khamenei's casket was displayed in a glass case. Many people were seen crying, chanting slogans calling for revenge, and beating their chests in a traditional Shiite mourning ritual.
Large banners and billboards featuring Khamenei's image were displayed across the capital as crowds paid their final respects.
"I came to say goodbye to my beloved leader," said 27-year-old mourner Hananeh Mousavi, who attended the ceremony with her mother. She said she never imagined witnessing such a day.
Khamenei's casket was placed above those of several family members who were also killed in the strike. His black turban, symbolizing his claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad, rested on top of the coffin.
The funeral stage at the Grand Mosalla was designed to resemble the venue where Khamenei often delivered speeches at his Tehran compound, which was destroyed in the Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.
Iranian authorities expect millions of people to join the funeral processions, drawing comparisons with the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Organizers distributed cold drinks and sprayed water on mourners to help them cope with the summer heat.
Ali Kazemi, who traveled from the northwestern city of Tabriz, said he attended the funeral to demonstrate support for his country and religion.
A large turnout is expected to strengthen the government's position as it seeks to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict with the United States while tensions with Israel remain high.
The funeral began on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Although Iranian authorities did not comment on the timing, crowds at the ceremony chanted anti-American slogans.
At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, said Iran wanted to reach a settlement after the conflict and remarked that the United States had given the country "a week off for a funeral."
Some mourners at the ceremony also displayed banners directed at Trump.
Khamenei's body will later be taken to several cities in Iran as well as neighboring Iraq as part of the funeral ceremonies. Authorities have closed roads, restricted airspace and disrupted normal activities in Tehran during the mourning period.
It remains unclear whether Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will make a public appearance during the funeral. His wife was among the family members killed in the attack.
On Thursday, Iran's joint military command warned Israel and the United States against any actions that could further escalate tensions during the funeral period, following reported Israeli threats against Mojtaba Khamenei.