ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has completed all logistical and security preparations for the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei (1939 - 2026) in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, a senior Iraqi security official announced on Monday, anticipating media coverage from over 3,000 media workers.
"All preparations for the funeral procession of martyr Ali Khamenei in the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf have been completed," head of Iraq's Security Media Cell (SMC) Lieutenant General Saad Maan announced at a press conference, adding that a committee has been formed to "supervise the plan for the procession."
The ceremony is set to begin in Najaf International Airport "with official attendance and a high-level delegation" from Iran, continuing to the shrine of the first Shia Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, in Karbala "where a traffic plan has been designed along the route connecting the two provinces to ensure smooth traffic flow during the funeral ceremonies," said Maan.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 on the first day of the joint US-Israeli aerial campaign launched against Iran along with several of the country's top leaders and commanders.
While several prior dates had been set for the funeral, the six-week Iran war and ensuing intermittent tit-for-tat military escalations delayed the ceremony.
The bodies of the late supreme leader and several others killed alongside him were transferred to a prominent mosque in Tehran on Friday a day before an official funeral ceremony took place Saturday and Sunday, ahead of mass processions set for Monday.
According to Maan, the ceremonies in Iraq are expected to see the "participation of all security agencies" and coverage by "more than 600 Arab and foreign journalists," as well as "over 3,000 Iraqi, Arab, and foreign media workers."
On Thursday, the head of the SMC had estimated that broad public participation would "reach millions of citizens and visitors from inside and outside Iraq," necessitating “a comprehensive security plan with the participation of various ministries and security and service agencies.”
Khamenei’s final burial is set to take place in the northern shrine city of Mashhad in northern Iran on July 9.
