Mourners greet Khamenei funeral procession in Iraq as US, Iran trade strikes

Thousands of mourners gathered in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Wednesday to attend funeral processions for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei’s coffin was carried on a large truck and driven through the streets, draped in the Iranian flag as it continued to other Shiite holy sites before returning to Iran for burial.

Najaf is considered one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims, as it is where the Prophet Mohammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali, was buried. Funeral prayers were held at the Shrine of Imam Ali prior to the procession.

Khamenei, who ruled over the Iranian Regime for 37 years, was killed in the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, which triggered the start of the war.

Crowds lined the streets of Najaf along the route, carrying portraits of the late Iranian leader and chanting, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” according to Reuters. Iraqi and Iranian flags flew above the procession alongside banners of Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

The six-day funeral procession began in Iran on Saturday, where world leaders, foreign dignitaries and officials gathered in Tehran to mourn the ayatollah.

Khamenei’s body arrived Tuesday evening at Najaf International Airport, where Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, senior Iraqi officials and religious leaders welcomed the coffin. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also joined Wednesday’s procession.

Khamenei’s coffin is expected to travel to Karbala, another major holy city in Iraq, later on Wednesday for additional ceremonies before his body is returned to Iran.

The funeral unfolded as peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were threatened by new fire.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he considers the interim agreement to be over after the two countries exchanged strikes overnight.

“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey.

The U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out a series of “powerful” strikes against Iranian targets after Tehran attacked at least three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded by launching strikes targeting U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the U.S. of violating the interim agreement.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf said in a post on social platform X.