Ali Khamenei's funeral: Thousands of faithful take to the streets in Iran The state funeral of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei began this Saturday (4) in Tehran, where thousands of people gathered in a show of strength after the war against Israel and the United States. Four months after the Ayatollah's death in the Israeli and American bombings that triggered the conflict on February 28, his coffin is on display in the Great Mosalla, a vast religious complex in the capital. His emblematic black turban was placed over him. ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Mostly dressed in black, the thousands of participants gathered at the venue since Saturday morning, even before state television announced, at around 6:00 am local time (11:30 pm on Friday Brasília time), the official start of the events. Many carried red Shiite flags with the inscription "Martyr". According to an AFP journalist, some participants chanted "Revenge!", but also "Death to the United States, death to Israel!", a frequent slogan at official gatherings. Red posters were also seen urging "#KillTrump", on the same day that the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. "We promised the supreme leader that we will remain with him until the end. All these people are here for him," says Reza, a 37-year-old university professor. Remember who was the ayatollah who ruled Iran with an iron fist See which foreign leaders attended the farewell of Iran's supreme leader Authorities predict that between 15 and 20 million people will participate in these tributes in Tehran alone, which are announced as the largest in the country's history. The event, which will last six days, is intended to be a show of force in the midst of diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran, following the signing, last month, of a memorandum to end the conflict. The presence of Khamenei's son Mojtaba, who succeeded him in early March as supreme guide, has not been confirmed. Supposedly injured during the attacks that killed his father, the leader only expressed himself through written messages and did not appear in public. On the occasion of this tribute, which takes place six months after important popular demonstrations against the high cost of living and the government, the center of the Iranian capital was transformed into a fortress, with numerous police controls, AFP found. Even before the official start of the ceremony, several hundred people waited on Friday night in front of the Great Mosalla, hoping to be the first to enter. “We want to say a final goodbye to our guide and so the wait is neither painful nor difficult for us,” Somayye Hamedi, a 44-year-old teacher dressed in a black chador, told AFP. Some of those present were crying and others waited sitting on the floor, while poems were recited and religious songs were broadcast. “Coming here is the last and only thing we can do” for Ali Khamenei, who “sacrificed his life” for Iran, comments Fatemeh Nowdehi, a 25-year-old student from the north of the country. With posters against the US and Israel, protesters gather in Greater Mosalla for the first day of tributes to the supreme leader, killed in an attack in February. AFP Tributes The coffin will remain on display day and night until Monday in Mosalla, before a procession through the streets of the capital. After these ceremonies, the coffin will stop in several cities in Iran and Iraq, before his burial on July 9 in the holy city of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, where he was born. Initially scheduled for March, but postponed due to the war, the funerals include a visit to two Shiite shrines in Iraqi territory. In front of the public in Tehran, several senior Iranian officials and some foreign dignitaries on Friday paid a last tribute to the supreme leader who presided over the destinies of Iran for more than three decades until his death at the age of 86. The head of the Revolutionary Guard, Ahmad Vahidi, appeared in public for the first time since the start of the war. He was appointed to the role in early March following the death of his predecessor on February 28. To welcome Iranians from across the country, more than 400 Iranian Red Crescent tents were installed in a large park in the capital, AFP found. Water trucks were also deployed, ready to cool the crowd in the face of temperatures expected to exceed 35°C. Next to Khamenei's coffin are those of his family members who died with him: one of his daughters, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and a 14-month-old granddaughter, according to authorities. All this while an image of the leader with his fist raised, a symbol of the resistance he demanded against the West, remains omnipresent in the room. Mourners hold portraits of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Greater Mosalla in Tehran on July 4, 2026. AFP