Ayatollah Khamenei's body to be transferred to two holy cities in Iraq one day before burial

The funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly 37 years, will include a significant stop in Iraq before his final burial.

Tehran municipality announced that ceremonies will take place from July 4 to July 9. According to a video statement by Mayor Alireza Zakani, Khamenei's body will be in neighboring Iraq on July 8. The funeral was initially planned for March but was postponed due to ongoing conflict.

From July 4 to 6, Khamenei's body will lie in state in Tehran, where authorities anticipate approximately 20 million people will pay their respects. The ceremonies will continue on July 7 in the holy city of Qom in northern Iran, with the final burial scheduled for July 9 in Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace.

The route through Iraq holds particular significance. Following the U.S. invasion and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has sought to balance its relations with both the U.S. and Iran. As a predominantly Shia Muslim nation, Iraq hosts two of the holiest sites in Shia Islam: the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala and the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf.

Iraqi authorities have not officially commented on the Tehran announcements. However, a source close to the Iranian embassy in Baghdad indicated that Khamenei's coffin would be flown from Qom to Najaf airport on July 8. From there, it would be transported by ambulance to the Imam Ali shrine and then by helicopter to the Karbala shrine before returning to Mashhad. Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, reportedly succeeded him in early March after being injured in the same attack that killed his father. He has not appeared publicly since.