Iran prepares week of mourning for slain leader Khamenei after US-Israeli strikes

Iran's clerical leadership is orchestrating extensive funeral rites for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in recent US and Israeli strikes. The planned week of mass mourning aims to project unwavering public devotion to the Islamic Republic and signal its enduring revolutionary fervor.

Authorities intend to mobilize millions of supporters for processions in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, viewing the large public turnout as a "referendum for the Islamic Republic." They are reportedly arranging transport, accommodation, and food to ensure a proclamation of the theocratic state's might following a conflict perceived as existential.

Khamenei's death and the succession of his son, Mojtaba, mark a significant moment in the Islamic Republic's 47-year history. However, analysts suggest that beneath the veneer of unity, public support for the regime is thin. Decades of sanctions and repression have alienated many, particularly the young population who have little memory of the 1979 revolution. Recent protests triggered by inflation saw calls for Khamenei's death, which authorities suppressed forcefully.

The planned funeral contrasts sharply with the emotional public reaction to the burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolution's father. Reports from Tehran indicate a tense and quiet atmosphere, with some residents planning to leave the city to avoid the funeral events.

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The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic.