Khamenei's remains moved to Shia holy city of Qom, emphasizing regime legitimacy

The remains of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have arrived in the Shia holy city of Qom for funeral prayers, marking a significant step in the ongoing mourning process. The ceremony, held at Qom's Jamkaran Mosque, follows several days of funeral services in the capital, Tehran, where Khamenei and four family members died in an alleged Israeli-American airstrike in late February.

Thousands of mourners gathered in Qom, a city considered a major center for Shia religious education and home to the shrine of Fatima Masumeh, the sister of the eighth Imam. Participants chanted slogans such as "Death to America!" and held red flags symbolizing the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and the Iranian national flag. Qom holds deep historical significance for the Islamic Republic, having been a stronghold of opposition against the monarchy in the 1960s and 1970s, and a place where Khamenei himself studied under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Analysts suggest that moving Khamenei's remains to Qom serves to underscore the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic and project an image of unwavering stability despite his death. By holding ceremonies in this religiously significant city, the regime aims to consolidate internal unity and demonstrate its enduring strength. Qom's prominent seminaries have historically produced high-ranking clerics, and Khamenei had exerted considerable influence over these institutions during his leadership, reinforcing the city's role as a nexus of religious and political power.

Following the ceremonies in Qom, Khamenei's remains are scheduled to be moved to Najaf, Iraq, for further funeral events before being interred in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9. The extensive funeral arrangements highlight the regime's effort to leverage Khamenei's death to reinforce its ideological foundations and project national solidarity.