NZNTV

ON SITE The weather was very hot, and the crowd grew larger as time went on. To be precise, about a hundred thousand people attended the funeral. People’s emotions were mixed. Some were really crying and wailing, especially those closest to the hearse, but some saw it as a festival, especially the children, who didn’t really understand the meaning of the ceremony.

Most of the participants were from the older generation of society, but there were also middle-aged and young families with children and grandchildren. The people present carried various flags, the flag of the Islamic Republic, the flag of Hezbollah of Lebanon, and red flags with the theme of revenge (from Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu). 

All streets and alleys leading to the Imam Reza shrine (the burial place) were closed to vehicles so that the crowd could follow the body on foot. Various medical teams were stationed at various points for the incidents that occurred. Khamenei’s supporters from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan were also present.

The metro and bus lines to the shrine were very busy because people could not get to the shrine in their own cars. Police in military gear were present in various parts of the city, and for security reasons, only approved servants went to work that day.

Finally, Khamenei’s eldest son prayed over his father’s body and buried him. While the funeral was being held in Iraq, there were clashes in the Persian Gulf between the Islamic Republic and the United States, so there were rumors that the ceremony in Mashad might be canceled, but it was held nonetheless, and the clashes continued. Also, suspiciously, in the Sarafrazan neighborhood of Mashhad that same night, two Basij forces were killed in an armed clash.

Hamid