Iran delays Khamenei funeral: Tehran mayor

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani announced on Thursday that Iran has postponed the state funeral of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei to late June or early July.

Zakani, citing the Islamic mourning calendar, said the ceremony would not proceed during the first 10 days of Muharram. Iran had previously planned to hold the three-day event in early June.

Why has the Khamenei funeral been delayed?

Iran postponed the funeral to avoid a clash with Ashura, the annual Shia mourning period marking the death of Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Holding a state funeral during the first 10 days of Muharram, when the faithful observe this mourning, was deemed inappropriate. The ceremony will now take place in the second 10 days of Muharram instead.

Zakani made the announcement in a statement carried by the Fars news agency. The second 10 days of Muharram fall between June 26 and July 5, giving organisers a narrow window for what Tehran officials expect will be a mass public event. Authorities have previously said they anticipate 20 million people attending.

When will Khamenei's funeral take place?

Based on the mayor's statement, the funeral is expected to take place between June 26 and July 5. This would be the second postponement of the ceremony. A state funeral was initially planned for March 4, just days after Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on his home in central Tehran on February 28, but was pushed back due to the war.

Khamenei led the Islamic Republic for nearly 37 years before his death. The scale of the planned ceremony reflects both his religious standing and the political weight Iran's leadership has attached to the event since the war began.