Funeral committee says ‘over 10 million’ attended Khamenei ceremonies in Iraq

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s committee overseeing the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Thursday that more than 10 million mourners took part in ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala, adding that the two-day event concluded without any reported security breaches or major incidents.

Committee chairman Ihsan al-Awadi said preliminary unofficial estimates indicated more than 10 million people traveled to the two holy cities for the funeral of Khamenei and four members of his family before their bodies left Najaf International Airport for Mashhad, Iran, on Thursday morning.

The bodies departed at 8:30 a.m. aboard a flight to Mashhad after the ceremonies concluded, the committee said.

Awadi said the committee began planning immediately after receiving its mandate, coordinating with Iranian authorities, the local governments of Najaf and Karbala, the Imam Ali, Imam Hussein and Abbas shrines, the Joint Operations Command, security agencies and service institutions.

He said the plan drew on specialized subcommittees, crowd-management measures, security arrangements and the mobilization of volunteers and religious processions. Despite the arrival of millions of mourners, Awadi said the ceremonies were completed “without recording any breaches or noteworthy incidents.” He thanked government institutions, the holy shrines, security and military forces, particularly the Popular Mobilization Forces, health and service personnel, religious processions, volunteers and citizens.

Khamenei’s body arrived at Najaf International Airport on Tuesday night, where Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received the Iranian delegation led by President Masoud Pezeshkian before public ceremonies began Wednesday. The coffin was carried through Najaf to the Imam Ali shrine, then flown by helicopter to Karbala for the second stage of the funeral.

Official estimates of attendance varied widely. Interior Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Saad Maan put the Najaf procession at about three million, while the Popular Mobilization Forces later said more than four million attended in Karbala. The committee’s figure of more than 10 million is a preliminary, unofficial estimate for the combined events in both cities.