Large portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were displayed across Tehran’s Grand Mosque as preparations intensified for the high-profile funeral ceremony of the Iranian supreme leader, who was martyred in US-Israeli airstrikes. The funeral, which was postponed during the peak of the recent Middle East conflict, took place on Saturday, 4th July, amid a delicate ceasefire between Iran and the United States after both sides reached an initial agreement aimed at ending hostilities. Khamenei, regarded as a deeply influential religious leader among Shia Muslims, was martyred at the age of 86 at his residence in central Tehran on February 28, during the opening day of the war. His public funeral ceremony took place on Saturday, when his body lay in state at the massive Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran, a venue commonly used for major Friday prayers, state ceremonies and significant religious events.

Ali Hosseini Khamenei (19 April 1939 – 28 February 2026) was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in 2026. A member of the Khamenei family, he previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He held the title of Grand Ayatollah and his tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the........

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