This week, Iran is holding seven days’ worth of funeral and mourning events for its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed almost four months ago amidst the conflict between Iran and the United States. Ceremonies are being held in at least five different cities between Iran and Iraq, and may draw as many as ten million attendees (The New York Times). This moment of mourning holds the potential to bring the Iranian people together under their new government in a tense moment after months of protests and war (Associated Press). 

For the two months before his death, the Ayatollah’s reign was marred with protests over corruption, repression, and violence against political opponents and dissidents. Many Iranians hoped that their advocacy against Khamenei would result in meaningful change and an end to the controlling theocracy; however, after the joint American-Israeli strike that killed the Ayatollah and several members of his family, there has been little room for improvement.

Now, several months after his death, Iran will finally mourn the death of its leader under a tense ceasefire with the United States. According to Al Jazeera, heads of state from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Georgia, as well as senior government officials from several other countries, will be in attendance. However, the current leader of Iran and son of Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not be attending due to security concerns after a previous assassination attempt by Israel. 

The procession of Khamenei’s remains through major Iranian and Iraqi cities such as Tehran, Qom, and Karbala serves as a hope from the government to rally Iranians behind their leaders and to present this moment as one of national unity. These cities were chosen for the procession for their governmental, religious, and international importance, as well as to connect with as broad of a population as possible. This will be the largest funeral in Iran’s history, relative to its population size and the turnout, and draws comparisons to the massive funeral proceedings held for the first leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989 (Al Jazeera). 

The United States has agreed to a ceasefire for at least the duration of the funerary events after months of costly fighting. Despite the agreement between the two countries for a momentary peace, Iranian officials are warning against any “miscalculations” by foreign governments hoping to intervene and threaten the current leader, alluding to comments made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz who stated that Mojtaba Khamenei was “marked for death” (CNN).

The power of this week-long funeral event for the slain leader is the symbolism it sends to the people of Iran and the rest of the world. It intends to signal that the death of Ali Khamenei will not spell the end for the Islamic Republic and the regime will survive this war despite American and Israeli efforts to create change. Intentionally chosen to overlap with America’s Independence Day as well as key dates in Shiite Islam, this funeral is setting out to immortalize Ali Khamenei as a central religious figure and a staunch resister against foreign aggression.