A powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran’s theocracy held a smaller service for him on Thursday night near the supreme leader’s former home in downtown Tehran.
Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold a dayslong funeral for Khamenei, and his body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq.
The funeral will begin at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where authorities plan to shut down streets and daily life as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei, who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.
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Ayatollah Khamenei's coffin taken to the site of assassination: Iranian media
July 3, 2026 8:06 am
Iranian state media said that in an unannounced event, the coffin carrying the body of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was taken to the site where he was killed. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), "In an unannounced event, the coffin carrying the body of the martyred leader Ayatollah Khamenei was brought to the site of his martyrdom." The multi-day public farewell, scheduled to take place on July 4 and 5 in the capital city, is anticipated to draw a record-breaking crowd of up to 20 million participants, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
