The coffin of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was taken to Tehran’s Freedom Square on Monday, following a large funeral prayer held the previous day at the city’s Grand Mosalla mosque. According to Al Jazeera, millions of Iranians gathered around the coffins of Khamenei and his family members to pay their final respects, with mourners arriving from across the country.

The report described the ceremonies as more than expressions of grief, portraying them as demonstrations of national unity and institutional continuity after Khamenei’s assassination. Iranian leadership sought to signal that, despite his death, the state institutions he built remain intact and the transfer of power is proceeding smoothly. Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has succeeded him as Supreme Leader but has not yet appeared publicly.

The coffin will next be taken to Qom on July 7, then to Iraq’s Karbala and Najaf on July 8, and finally to Mashhad on July 9 for burial, marking the conclusion of the state mourning process.