Giant portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late supreme leader assassinated in US-Israeli airstrikes, hang from Tehran’s Grand Mosalla as workers race to prepare for his grand funeral ceremony, AFP reports.

His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, will take place as Iran and the United States uphold a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.

Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed aged 86 at his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital on February 28, the first day of the war.

His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings.

The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.