The Iranian authorities showed strength at the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but behind the scenes, officials were preparing for the deaths of up to 3,000 people, Germany’s WELT reported.The report, written by an anonymous journalist in Tehran, said a confidential letter from the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the National Crisis Management Organization to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref estimated that between 1,500 and 3,000 people could die. Officials have set up a special team to deal with the dead and missing, while thousands of new graves were dug at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery.“Prepared graves do exist,” said a Tehran city government employee. “Those in charge were told that a maximum of 3,000 deaths would be sufficient. With so many people and it being so hot, no one knew what would happen.”
The funeral began in Tehran on Saturday and passed through Qom, the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before ending in Mashhad, where Khamenei is scheduled to be buried on Thursday. Officials put attendance at as many as 20 million people – a figure often used to indicate mass support but difficult to verify.
Large-scale security and logistics operations are underway
Authorities have drawn up a detailed security and logistical plan that includes movement restrictions, potential disruption to air travel, thousands of buses, makeshift kitchens and the use of schools and mosques to shelter participants.The city of Tehran, led by hardline mayor Alireza Zakani, is deploying 11,000 buses and keeping metro and BRT lines running free around the clock. Each region of Tehran received the equivalent of 500,000 to 650,000 euros for the three-day ceremony.WELT quoted journalists linked to the government as saying that Tehran’s total budget is about 15 million euros, with a further 5 million euros each in Qom and Mashhad. If additional ceremonies are held in Najaf and Karbala, the funeral could become one of the most expensive state funerals in modern history.
Past funeral disasters sound alarm bells
Iran has a long history of large funerals. At least 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured during the 2020 funeral in Kerman for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani. Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 funeral also turned chaotic, leaving at least eight people dead and hundreds injured.Le Monde also reported serious political tensions surrounding the ceremony, with hardline supporters using nighttime rallies to denounce the US-Iran memorandum and threatening senior officials involved in the negotiations, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.Some attendees called for a continuation of the war to avenge Khamenei’s killing, while online videos showed hardline religious figures delivering aggressive speeches, some holding rifles.The funeral comes amid growing public dissatisfaction with funeral costs, economic hardship and the government’s use of state resources for political displays.
