Khamenei’s body received in Najaf as Iraq leg of public funeral begins

NAJAF — The body of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei arrived at Najaf International Airport on Tuesday night, where Iraqi officials and political leaders formally received it before public funeral ceremonies began Wednesday morning in the city.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi traveled to Najaf for the official reception, which also marked the arrival of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who led the delegation accompanying Khamenei’s body. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also part of the delegation.

The prime minister’s office said al-Zaidi renewed his condolences to the Iranian people and government over Khamenei’s death and “affirmed the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries and Iraq’s commitment to strengthening them across various fields.”

The statement added that Zaidi stressed “the sensitivity of the coming phase and the need for prudence and careful engagement at the regional and international levels in order to consolidate stability and bring conflicts to an end.”

The prime minister’s office said Pezeshkian thanked Iraq’s government and people for what he described as their “honorable stance” and the arrangements made for the funeral, and invited Zaidi to visit Iran to strengthen cooperation.

Zaidi is also scheduled to visit the United States later this month on his first official foreign trip since taking office in mid-May.

Among those attending the reception were Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki, Asaib Ahl al-Haq Secretary-General Qais al-Khazali, former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Taqaddum Party leader Mohammed al-Halbousi and Babylon Movement leader Rayan al-Kildani, alongside other political, religious and tribal figures.

At the airport, Maliki said Iraq’s participation in the funeral sent a message that “Iran is not alone” and has supporters “across the world.”

Footage from the airport showed a crowd of officials and attendees pressing toward Khamenei’s coffin, with some trying to touch or kiss it during the reception.

The aircraft carrying the body landed at about 9:30 p.m., ahead of the public procession that began around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Large crowds gathered in Najaf on Wednesday morning as the procession moved from Sadrain Square toward the Old City and the shrine of Imam Ali, where funeral prayers were scheduled. Iraqi security forces deployed heavily along the route.

The Popular Mobilization Forces later published photographs from Karbala showing four coffins belonging to members of Khamenei’s family, three large and one smaller, all draped in Iranian flags, inside the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas before the procession’s arrival in the city.

As the procession advanced through Najaf, Khamenei’s coffin approached the historic center surrounded by tens of thousands of mourners. Under the planned schedule, the body will later be transferred to Karbala for further ceremonies, with burial to follow in Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace in Iran.

Iraq declared Wednesday a nationwide public holiday to coincide with the funeral.