- Iran is preparing for a multi-day funeral and burial ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation's supreme leader for nearly four decades, who was killed on 28 February at the outset of the war with the United States and Israel.
- The extensive mourning period will see Khamenei's body transported through several cities, starting in Tehran on Saturday, then moving to Qom, Karbala in Iraq, and finally Mashhad, where he will be interred at the Imam Reza shrine.
- This delayed ceremony serves as a critical test for Iran's embattled theocracy to mobilise widespread public support, particularly six months after security forces brutally suppressed nationwide protests against Khamenei’s rule, with concerns about potential deadly stampedes.
- It remains uncertain whether Khamenei’s son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has assumed the role of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, will make his first public appearance during these ceremonies, having remained in hiding since being reportedly wounded in the attack that killed his father.
- The funeral proceeds under an uneasy ceasefire, recently cemented by an interim agreement with the United States, which is facing significant challenges in ongoing technical discussions in Qatar regarding Iran's nuclear programme and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
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