Khamenei funeral procession begins after delays in Karbala

Shafaq News- Karbala (Updated at 21:55) 

The funeral procession of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei began in Iraq’s Karbala on Wednesday evening, with large crowds and senior Iraqi and Iranian officials in attendance, Shafaq News correspondent reported.

The procession started from Sayyid Jawda Square in central Karbala, passing through Al-Abbas Street toward the provincial headquarters before heading to the Qibla Gate of the Imam Hussein Shrine.

Khamenei’s body is set to enter the shrine for visitation rites and a farewell prayer led by Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai, the official representative of Iraq’s top Shia religious authority, before moving through the area between the two shrines toward the Al-Abbas Shrine for further ceremonies.

The convoy reached the outskirts of Karbala in the afternoon after moving slowly along the Najaf-Karbala road, where residents repeatedly gathered to greet the procession with chants, forcing several stops and delaying the start of the ceremony, which had been scheduled for around 8 p.m. local time.

Khamenei’s body arrived in Karbala after funeral ceremonies began earlier in Najaf under tight security, where the turnout surpassed 3.8 million mourners, according to official figures. The Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) later estimated that more than four million people had gathered in Karbala for the procession, describing the figure as preliminary.

After the Karbala ceremonies, the body is scheduled to return to Najaf International Airport before being transferred to Iran’s Mashhad, where burial is planned at the Imam Reza Shrine on July 9.