Why Iran postponed Ali Khamenei’s funeral

Iran has postponed the planned state funeral for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, citing expectations of an “unprecedented turnout,” state television reported on Wednesday.

The farewell ceremony, originally scheduled to hold Wednesday evening in Tehran, was called off just hours before it was due to begin.

“The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later,” Iranian state television announced.

Khamenei, 86, was reportedly killed over the weekend in joint US-Israeli strikes that targeted key military and government facilities in Tehran, marking a dramatic escalation in regional tensions.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian authorities had stated that a tribute ceremony would be held in the capital before his body would be transported for burial in the holy city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

However, officials later said the postponement was partly due to the anticipated attendance of millions of mourners.

Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council, the body organising the funeral, said the delay was necessary because of “the expected participation of millions of people and the need to provide the proper infrastructure” to manage the crowd.

Since Saturday, Tehran has come under sustained missile strikes, with attacks reportedly targeting strategic military and government infrastructure.

Authorities did not directly link the postponement of the funeral to the ongoing security situation.