The funeral procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Qom, the center of Shia Islam in Iran, with crowds gathering to pay their respects. Meanwhile, the government used the funeral to display strength amid ongoing war-ending negotiations with the United States.
On 7 July 2026 GMT+7, international news agencies reported that the funeral procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, arrived in Qom, the country's Shia Islamic educational center, in the evening. Large numbers of people gathered near Jamkaran Mosque to pay their final respects.
Iranian state television reported that an official mourning ceremony will be held in Qom on Tuesday.
Earlier the same day, massive crowds dressed in black took part in a funeral procession in Tehran to mourn Khamenei’s death. Many participants shouted slogans calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Khamenei’s coffin, draped with the Iranian national flag, was carried along with coffins of family members who died in an airstrike on 28 February 2026 GMT+7, marking the start of a war initiated by Israel and the U.S. against Iran. They were transported on a truck decorated like a cage surrounding the Imam’s shrine, a key symbol in Shia Islam.
The Iranian government encouraged citizens to join the large funeral ceremony to demonstrate national unity and strength amid negotiations with the United States aimed at permanently ending the war.
Khamenei’s funeral took place amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and is being closely watched for its possible implications on the future direction of Iran-U.S. relations.