Thousands of people took to the streets in Iran to say goodbye to spiritual leader Khamenei

In Iran, thousands of people took to the streets to say goodbye to spiritual leader Ali Khamenei. This was reported by Izvestia correspondent Alexei Poltoranin on July 4.

The farewell ceremony began early in the morning with prayer. The coffin of Ali Khamenei and his relatives was placed on a pedestal and placed in a glass bulletproof enclosure in case of vandalism. In Iran, such protection is also a sign of respect for the leader, in order to preserve, as it is called here, the inviolability of the divine gift.

A press center has been set up on the territory of the mosque in mourning tones, where more than 900 journalists from different countries cover the ceremony.

"Security measures are in place in Iran these days. The sky is completely closed, airports in Tehran do not accept flights. Roads are blocked at the entrance to the mosque, security forces are on duty with machine guns mounted on the car," Poltoranin said.

Mostafa Hariziwi, head of the press center for Khamenei's funeral organization, said that Russia, Iran and China have established very close relations, unlike the United States, which wants to destroy them. In his opinion, the Americans are imposing sanctions and doing everything possible to destroy unity and solidarity between the Russian and Iranian peoples.

Funeral march: national farewell to Ali Khamenei begins in Tehran

What is behind the demonstration of unity in Iran

Khamenei's farewell and funeral are taking place from July 4 to July 9. The main funeral ceremony is scheduled for July 6 in Tehran. The next day, on July 7, mourning events will continue in the Shiite holy city of Qom, and the final ceremony will take place on July 9 in Mashhad.

Ali Khamenei died at the age of 86 on February 28 as a result of a military operation by the United States and Israel in Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei's son, was appointed the new supreme leader of Iran on March 9.