Iran begins a procession through Tehran for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin and the coffin of his family, who were killed in an air strike at the beginning of the war launched by Israel and the United States on February 28, will be carried by a truck.
They will be driven through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport.
Iran’s theocracy plans to have large crowds attend ceremonies across the city to show public support for the government.
Iranian state television reported that the parade had begun.
Authorities closed streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday with the burial of 86-year-old Khamenei at the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad.
Meanwhile, the United States continues negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back its controversial nuclear program, and permanently ending the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the funeral.
