The body of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was brought Thursday night to a farewell ceremony in Tehran, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
The ceremony was attended by thousands of family members of those killed in US-Israeli attacks, who gathered in mourning near the site where Khamenei was killed.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28, an event that triggered weeks of war and heightened tensions across the region.
According to the announced funeral schedule, an official memorial ceremony for Khamenei will be held on Friday, July 3, with the participation of heads of state, senior officials and religious leaders. Farewell ceremonies will continue in Tehran on July 4 and July 5, followed by the main funeral procession in the capital on July 6.
The funeral rites will then move to the holy city of Qom on July 7.
On July 8, ceremonies are scheduled in Iraq, including in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala, where the body will be received by religious and political figures and taken to major Shia shrines.
The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for July 9 at Imam Ali Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of the Shia holiest sites.
