High security night vigil ahead of official Khamenei funeral
With riot police posted and barricades springing up, the venue for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral resembled a fortified camp Friday evening, but that did not deter crowds from gathering for a nearly 10-hour wait before it opened.
The supreme leader's remains will lie in state day and night until Monday within the Grand Mosalla complex, which opens to the public on Saturday at 6:00 am local time (0230 GMT).
Iranian authorities have planned a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic as its number one from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February.
People wait to enter the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla where a farewell ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February by Israeli-US strikes, takes place, in the capital of Iran, Tehran, on 3 July 2026 (Reuters)