The coffin of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in Iraq. According to Iranian state media Press TV, the plane carrying the coffins of Khamenei and his family members landed at Najaf International Airport on Tuesday night, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received it. A formal reception was held at the airport to honor the late leader.

Press TV reported that the coffins will be taken to Najaf and the holy city of Karbala on Wednesday for funeral prayers expected to draw millions of Iraqis. Khamenei was regarded as a religious leader by many in Iraq, and the Iraqi government has declared a public holiday for the occasion. Earlier, the first funeral prayer was held on Sunday at Tehran’s Grand Square, led by senior cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani.

Following the ceremonies in Iraq, Khamenei’s body will be taken to Mashhad, Iran, for burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza, in accordance with his wishes.