Iran has delayed the planned state funeral for its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing expectations of an exceptionally large turnout.
State television announced on Wednesday that the ceremony, initially scheduled to take place in Tehran that evening, would no longer be held as planned.
“The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later,” Iranian television reported after Khamenei was killed at the age of 86 in US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
Earlier in the day, officials had indicated that a tribute would be held in the capital before his remains would be transported to the holy city of Mashhad, his birthplace, for burial.
Since Saturday, Tehran has come under sustained bombardment, with missiles striking military and government facilities. However, authorities did not directly connect the decision to postpone the funeral with the ongoing security situation.
Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council — the body overseeing the arrangements — explained that the move was largely due to logistical considerations.
It was partly down to “the expected participation of millions of people and the need to provide the proper infrastructure” for such a crowd, Mahmoudi told state TV.
A new date for the funeral is expected to be announced once preparations are deemed adequate to accommodate the anticipated influx of mourners.
