Authorities inIraq's holy cities of Karbala and Najaf confirmed on Monday their readiness tohost funeral ceremonies for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on July 8,after Baghdad approved Tehran's request to include Iraq in the official funeralitinerary.
MohammedAl-Masoudi, a member of Karbala's Provincial Council and head of its TribalAffairs and Religious Occasions Committee, told Shafaq News that Iraqi andIranian officials discussed the details of the funeral during a meeting withIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, explaining that Karbala'sprogram would take the form of a public farewell, with security and logisticalmeasures modeled on those used during the city's largest annual religiouspilgrimages, including Arbaeen, which draws millions of Shia Muslim pilgrimseach year, while being adapted to the nature of the event.
Visitors fromacross Iraq are expected to arrive one or two days in advance, alongsideHusseini processions, volunteer religious groups that organize and provideservices during Shia religious occasions, taking part in the reception.
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The proposedroute would begin in Baghdad before continuing to Karbala, home to the shrinesof Imam Hussein bin Ali and his brother al-Abbas, two of the most reveredfigures in Shia Islam, and then to Najaf, where the Imam Ali bin Abi Talebshrine is located. Khamenei's body would later be transferred to Iran forburial at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
In Najaf, localgovernment spokesperson Ahmed Al-Fatlawi told Shafaq News that the officialprogram would start at Najaf International Airport before proceeding to theImam Ali shrine, with security, municipal, and other government agenciesoverseeing the event and receiving official delegations and mourners.
Iraniandelegations have arrived in Najaf to coordinate the final logisticalpreparations with Iraqi authorities.
Khamenei, wholed Iran from 1989 until his death, was killed on February 28 during theopening day of US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
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