IRAN’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral will likely be held toward the end of the current Iranian calendar month of Khordad, which ends on June 21, an official of Tehran’s local government said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ali Tavakolizadeh said the Revolutionary Guards are in charge of organising the funeral and that discussions are underway about extending the time for preparations in order to better organise the event.

He said three days had been allocated for the public to bid farewell and that the ceremony in Tehran would last at least 24 hours. Tavakolizadeh added that Khamenei’s body would also be taken in a funeral procession to the holy city of Qom. The former supreme leader will be laid to rest in Mashhad at the shrine of Imam Reza, in accordance with his will.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026