Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral: Iran Prepares for Late Supreme Leader’s Dayslong Funeral (Watch Video)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (JON GAMBRELL), July 3: A powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.

Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Dies: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Who Led the Islamic Republic Since 1989, Dead at 86.

Iran Prepares Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral

Saksikan momen saat iring-iringan yang membawa almarhum Pemimpin Revolusi Islam yang syahid, Ayatollah Syahid Seyyed Ali Khamenei, tiba di lokasi upacara penghormatan dan perpisahan yang diselenggarakan di sekitar Husseiniyeh Imam Khomeini (RA), Tehran. pic.twitter.com/tmIZUpsAhG

— Iran Embassy in Indonesia (@IraninIndonesia) July 2, 2026

Vahidi himself hasn’t been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began. Video published by Iranian state media showed the mourning ceremony for Khamenei near the husseiniyah at his compound in Tehran. An Israeli airstrike in the war's first moments on Feb. 28 killed Khamenei and some of his family members. State media said Khamenei's body sat within a coffin on a stage, with red tulips lined up in front of it. What appeared to be paper butterflies hung from the ceiling in front of it. Mojtaba Khamenei to Skip His Father, Ali Khamenei's, Funeral over Security Concerns: Report.

The black-clad mourners, whom state media identified as coming from families of those who lost loved ones in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran.

Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold a dayslong funeral for Khamenei, and his body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. The funeral will begin at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where authorities plan to shut down streets and daily life as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei, who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2026 07:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).