…says the funeral postponement was necessary because of “the expected participation.
Tehran, Iran, The iNews Times | Iran has postponed the state funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, citing the expectation of an unprecedented turnout of mourners in the capital. The ceremony, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, was cancelled just hours before it was set to begin, according to state television.
“The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later,” Iranian state television reported on Wednesday. Khamenei, 86, was reportedly killed over the weekend during joint US-Israeli strikes targeting key military and government installations in Tehran, escalating tensions in the region.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian officials had planned a tribute ceremony in Tehran before transporting his body to Mashhad, the holy city and his birthplace, for burial. However, authorities confirmed that the event had been delayed due to the massive number of mourners expected.
Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council, which is organising the funeral, explained that the postponement was necessary because of “the expected participation of millions of people and the need to provide the proper infrastructure” to manage the crowd safely.
Tehran has faced sustained missile strikes since Saturday, 28 February 2026, with attacks reported on strategic military and government facilities. While officials have not directly linked the funeral’s postponement to the ongoing security challenges, the capital remains under heightened tensions amid the continuing strikes.
