Massive crowds gather as Khamenei funeral procession reaches Karbala

KARBALA — The body of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei arrived in Iraq’s Karbala governorate on Wednesday, where large crowds gathered for the next stage of funeral ceremonies after a public procession in Najaf.

The Middle Euphrates Operations Command of the Popular Mobilization Forces said the Karbala procession was scheduled to run from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., beginning on Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis Street, passing through Sayyid Jawda Street and ending at the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas.

Official footage showed mourners waiting for the coffin’s arrival in Karbala as Iraqi authorities implemented extensive security and organizational measures along the route.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Saad Maan, who also serves as spokesperson for the higher committee overseeing the funeral, said about three million mourners took part in the Najaf procession. “The security committee for the funeral is present on the ground in holy Karbala to monitor the funeral ceremonies,” Maan told the Iraqi News Agency, adding that the procession would move from Sayyid Jawda Square to the two shrines.

He said field monitoring, media coverage and official estimates indicated participation in the Najaf ceremonies “reached about three million participants and mourners,” covering the route from Sadrain Bridge to the Fatima Courtyard, the Imam Ali shrine, surrounding streets and other gathering points extending to Khan al-Nus in al-Haidariyah.

The Interior Ministry said the organizing committee continued its work in Karbala after the Najaf procession concluded, with “popular and official crowds” moving toward the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas under heightened security.

The ministry said the Najaf ceremonies drew large public and political attendance, including Shiite National Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who appeared among the crowds with his security detail, along with official and public delegations from governorates across Iraq.

Earlier Wednesday, the Popular Mobilization Forces 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 reached the city.

Khamenei’s body arrived in Najaf on Tuesday night, where it was received by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior Iraqi and Iranian officials before ceremonies began Wednesday morning. After the Najaf procession, the body was to be transferred to Karbala before burial in Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace in Iran. Iraq declared Wednesday a nationwide public holiday to coincide with the funeral.