Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani speaks during a televised interview.
Basra allocates 150 buses to carry mourners to Khamenei funeral
BASRA — Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani has allocated 150 buses to carry mourners from Basra to Najaf and back for the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, set for July 7 and 8, his media office said Sunday.
The buses will leave Basra Sports City at 10 a.m. Tuesday, providing round-trip transport for people attending the ceremonies in Najaf, the statement said.
The move follows other preparations across Iraq. On Saturday, the Popular Mobilization Forces sent service and engineering vehicles to Najaf and Karbala to help with logistics, as authorities brace for large numbers of mourners from inside and outside the country. The preparations follow Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Baghdad last week to coordinate arrangements, and trips by senior Iraqi officials to Tehran for memorial events ahead of the procession through Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike that targeted senior Iranian leaders in Tehran.