Iran begins Khamenei funeral with calls for 'revenge, death to America'

Mourners filled a vast prayer complex in Tehran on Saturday for the start of week-long funeral ceremonies for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His reign ended in February with an airstrike by the US and Israel.

Television footage showed Khamenei's coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and topped with his turban, placed alongside four coffins of slain family members. The coffins rested on a black platform resembling the Kaaba in Mecca.

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Death to America, revenge, revenge

Chants of "Death to America" and "Revenge, revenge" echoed through the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla complex. State broadcaster Seda va Sima reported mourners also shouted, "We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam."

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Our slogan is one word: Revenge, revenge

Water misted from rooftops to cool attendees in the summer heat. Khamenei's coffin was to remain at the Mosalla until Sunday evening. It was scheduled to be taken to the Shi'ite centers of Qom and Najaf, and then to Kerbala in Iraq, before a Thursday burial in Mashhad.

Authorities plan to mobilize millions for large processions, providing transport, food, and lodging. The new supreme leader, Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen since the strike that killed his father.

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We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam.