Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Tehran
The funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iraq will be limited to Najaf and Karbala, excluding Baghdad because Iraq has only 24 hours to host the ceremonies, the Higher Committee organizing the procession said on Thursday.
Committee spokesperson Lt. Gen. Saad Maan told a press conference that Iraq will receive Khamenei’s body on July 7 in Najaf, where an official reception will be held before a public procession the next day.
The procession will begin at 6:00 a.m. on July 8 from the Al-Kufa overpass toward the Thawrat Al-Ishreen overpass, passing through Al-Sadrain Square. In Karbala, it will begin at 4:00 p.m. from Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis Street toward the Imam Hussein and Al-Abbas shrines, passing through the province’s main streets. Khamenei’s body will then be transferred back to Iran after the ceremonies are completed.
Initial estimates point to millions of mourners from inside and outside Iraq, prompting an integrated security and service plan, according to Maan. Earlier, Karbala Provincial Council official Mohammed Al-Masoudi told Shafaq News that Iraqi and Iranian officials had discussed the funeral during Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit, with Karbala preparing a public farewell modeled on Arbaeen security and service measures.
Iraq’s delegation will reportedly include President Nizar Amedi, Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Bafel Talabani.