Massive crowds have gathered outside the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran to pay their final respects to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The complex opened to the public at 6 a.m. local time, but thousands had already lined up since dawn. The ceremony marks the beginning of a week-long mourning period across Iran and Iraq, with state-organized events allowing citizens to honor Khamenei and his deceased family members.

Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack during the early phase of the ongoing war, which also claimed several of his relatives. Iranian authorities expect between 15 and 20 million mourners to gather in Tehran over the next three days. Security has been tightened across the capital, with road closures and airspace restrictions. Foreign dignitaries from Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, China, India, and other nations have attended the ceremonies.

Following the Tehran events, Khamenei’s funeral procession will travel to Qom and later to Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala before his burial in Mashhad, his birthplace, on Friday. His son and current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Ali Khamenei is not attending due to security threats from Israel.