Iran has announced plans for a massive three-day state funeral for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike during the opening hours of the recent war.

Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for nearly 37 years, was killed at his residence in central Tehran on February 28. A state funeral that had originally been scheduled for March 4 was postponed due to the conflict.

According to Iranian state television, Tehran Deputy Mayor Mohammad Amin Tavakolizadeh said a three-day public funeral will now be held, though a final date has not yet been announced.

Officials are reportedly considering holding the ceremonies during the early days of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which begins in mid-June.

Funeral events are expected to take place in Tehran as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, where Khamenei is slated to be buried.

“In Tehran, the ceremony will last at least 24 hours,” Tavakolizadeh said, adding that Iranian authorities expect as many as 20 million people to participate in the funeral events.

Khamenei’s death marked one of the most significant developments of the war, ending the nearly four-decade rule of the man who oversaw Iran’s nuclear ambitions, regional proxy network, and long-running confrontation with Israel and the United States.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)