In a message on his X network on Wednesday, Aref, calling the bond between the Iranian and Iraqi nations “sacred and unbreakable,” expressed gratitude to the Iraqi government and people, including religious authorities, scholars, tribes, and grassroots groups, for hosting the magnificent funeral processions.
The official ceremony welcoming the sacred remains of Ayatollah Khamenei was held in Najaf and was attended by Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with high-ranking military and civil officials, as well as senior Iraqi government figures and local officials.
Following the funeral prayer led by Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Taqi Hakim, a public procession started in the early morning of Wednesday, with mourners carrying flags and chanting slogans as they accompanied the vehicle bearing the remains of the martyred leader to the courtyard of the holy shrine of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) announced that over 2.3 million people attended the funeral procession of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei in Najaf.
Another funeral procession is set to begin at 4:00 PM (local time) today in the holy city of Karbala, where Iraqi officials have estimated that the ceremony will witness an epic turnout of millions of pilgrims gathering from across Iraq and other countries.
After farewell and funeral ceremonies in Tehran and Qom, as well as similar events in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, the body of Ayatollah Khamenei will be laid to rest beside the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad on Thursday.
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July 8, 2026, 4:13 p.m.
News ID: 86204210
Tehran, IRNA –First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says the funeral ceremonies of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala are a testament to the brotherhood and the profound cultural and religious bonds shared by the Iranian and Iraqi nations.