Khamenei, who was 86, will be honored through a series of public ceremonies beginning in Tehran before his body is transported to several cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. The funeral marks one of the most significant political and religious events in the Islamic Republic since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Thousands of mourners gathered early Saturday at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, many dressed in black as they made their way through streets closed to normal traffic. Participants carried Iranian flags, banners and portraits of the late supreme leader, while groups performed traditional Shiite mourning rituals by rhythmically beating their chests.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” said Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who attended the ceremony with her mother. “I never expected to see such a day.”

The main funeral stage at the Grand Mosalla was designed to resemble the platform from which Khamenei had frequently delivered speeches at his religious complex in central Tehran. That compound was destroyed in the Israeli airstrike that killed him and members of his family at the beginning of the conflict.

Iranian authorities expect the funeral to draw millions of participants, recalling the mass public gatherings that accompanied the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, more than three decades ago.

Ali Kazemi, who traveled from the northwestern city of Tabriz to attend the ceremony, said he wanted to demonstrate support for Iran and its religious leadership during a period of heightened uncertainty.

The funeral takes place as Tehran seeks to navigate the aftermath of the war while pursuing negotiations with the United States aimed at securing a permanent end to the conflict. Iranian leaders are also confronting continued security concerns following Israeli warnings that further military action could remain possible.

The government scheduled the opening of the funeral on July 4, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. Although officials did not publicly link the dates, mourners at the ceremony chanted anti-American slogans that have remained a feature of official gatherings since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Speaking separately at an Independence Day event near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the recent conflict with Iran and said Tehran was seeking a settlement following the hostilities.

Authorities have imposed extensive security measures throughout the capital, closing major roads, restricting airspace and disrupting normal daily activities to accommodate the funeral processions and public gatherings.

It remains unclear whether Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will make a public appearance during the ceremonies. When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died in 1989, the younger Ali Khamenei appeared prominently at the funeral shortly before assuming the country’s highest political and religious office.

The funeral also follows renewed regional tensions after Israel issued repeated threats against Mojtaba Khamenei. On Thursday, Iran’s joint military command warned both Israel and the United States against what it described as any “miscalculation” during the funeral period.

The ceremonies are expected to continue over several days, with Khamenei’s body scheduled to travel to multiple locations in Iran and Iraq before the funeral rites conclude.