Ali Khamenei’s Funeral Rites Shift to Najaf as Iran and Iraq Leaders Attend: 16 Sources (West Asian: 9) | NewsCord
IRNA said Tehran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref called the bond between the Iranian and Iraqi nations “sacred and unbreakable,” and said the official ceremony welcoming Khamenei’s remains was held in Najaf with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian in attendance.
WANA reported that a reception ceremony was held at Najaf International Airport after the body’s arrival, with Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi and former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani leading the official state reception.
Iraqi authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday, and 1310 WIBA said the procession began at 6 a.m. local time in Najaf and included a visit to the shrine of Imam Ali.
The Economic Times said Khamenei’s final burial will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad, after processions in Najaf and Karbala.
Slogans, absences, and divisions
While the funeral drew top Iraqi political, military, and religious leaders in Najaf and Karbala, Iran’s own mourning events were described by Iran International as being overshadowed by hardline supporters chanting slogans against President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Iran International said videos circulating on social media showed mourners shouting “Death to the compromiser,” and it also reported hostile chants directed at Araghchi including “Death to the traitor,” and “Shameless.”
The same Iran International report said Yousef Pezeshkian condemned the incidents, writing: “If anger is directed against our own forces, targets Muslim unity and undermines domestic cohesion, it means we have become a tool in the enemy’s hands and opened a window of hope for it to inflict further blows.”
Iran International also highlighted notable absences, saying former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani did not attend despite official expectations of unprecedented national solidarity.
CNN Arabic said critics accused authorities of trying to inflate the size of participation in the funeral, and it described a multi-day schedule spanning Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Unity messaging and next steps
WANA said the Popular Mobilization Forces took full charge of the extensive security apparatus required for the “million-man march,” with PMF Chairman Falih al-Fayyadh and Chief of Staff Abdul Aziz al-Muhammawi (Abu Fadak) participating in the procession.
The Economic Times quoted Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, saying the “extensive planning for this historical event by the Iraqi government and people show the depth of the spiritual bond between the two great nations of Iraq and Iran to the whole world.”
CNN Arabic said the funeral schedule included ceremonies in Tehran on July 4 and 5 at the Imam Khomeini Shrine, a procession in Tehran on July 6, ceremonies in Qom on July 7, and ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala on July 8.
The Washington Post framed the shift to Najaf as part of a funeral that drew Shiite Muslims from around the world, while it noted that the comments it collected reflected a range of opinions on the geopolitical situation involving the U.S., Iraq, and Iran.