Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran's main mosque on Saturday to attend the funeral rites for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, who was killed in February during joint United States and Israeli airstrikes. His body lay in state at the Grand Mosalla for three days before being moved to Qom, then to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, and finally to the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad for burial on Thursday. Authorities anticipate 15 to 20 million attendees across Iran and Iraq during the six‑day procession and the subsequent 40‑day commemorations. Crowds of black‑clad supporters chanted slogans, some calling for retaliation against the United States, while others expressed loyalty to the late leader. Reza, a 37‑year‑old professor, said he attended because he promised to stand by Khamenei until the end, and Arash Rahimi, 40, said the gathering was meant to avenge the supreme leader's death. The state has placed much of central Tehran under lockdown for the weekend. The funeral is expected to be the largest in Iran in terms of population proportion. Whether Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, will appear at the ceremony remains unresolved. The events will continue for 40 days with commemorations scheduled until the first anniversary of his burial.