The body of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lay in state in Tehran on Friday as a week of massive funeral ceremonies began.
The Islamic Republic is staging a series of mass processions for Khamenei, whose 37-year reign ended in February after he was killed in a US and Israeli airstrike. Ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners before his burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
His coffin was unveiled late Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters. On Friday, it was laid in state in a grand prayer hall, alongside coffins of family members also killed in the strike, including his daughter and infant granddaughter.
The funeral occurs at a critical juncture. While authorities aim to project unity and strength, analysts note the clerical leadership faces deep internal fractures, a paralysed economy, and recent mass protests.
The new Supreme Leader, Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen since being wounded in the same attack. Senior military officials, including the new Revolutionary Guards head Ahmad Vahidi, attended under tight security, having avoided public appearances over assassination fears.
Foreign dignitaries, including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attended the ceremony. Families of slain Hezbollah leaders were also present.
The funeral tour will proceed to the Shi'ite holy city of Qom in Iran, then to Najaf and Kerbala in Iraq, before his burial in Mashhad on Thursday. The burial was delayed from February due to the war, only proceeding after an interim truce was agreed last month.