At least million people arrive in Mashhad to attend Khamenei’s funeral

MASHHAD, July 9. /TASS/. At least one million people, including citizens of Pakistan and Lebanon, arrived in the Iranian city of Mashhad to pay last respects to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a TASS correspondent reported.

The three-kilometer-long Imam Reza Avenue leading directly to Imam Reza Holy Shrine, was filled with crowds since Thursday morning. Apart from Iranians, who arrived from all over the country, people with flags of Pakistan, Lebanon and Palestine could also be seen in the crowd.

"Today, as always, the whole world stands in solidarity with Iran, because Khamenei and the Iranians have always fought for truth and justice," a woman from Islamabad told TASS.

The funeral ceremony began in Tehran on July 3. For several days, the late Iranian supreme leader was lying in state at the Mosalla Mosque in the Iranian capital. The large-scale funeral procession took place on July 6. After that, the remains were taken to Iran's religious center, the city of Qom. On the evening of July 7, Khamenei’s coffin was transported to Iraq for additional ceremonies in the cities of Najaf and Karbala.

The burial is scheduled for July 9 in Khamenei's hometown of Mashhad, home to the Imam Reza Mausoleum, one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines.