Irans ruling clerics are preparing days of mass funeral rites for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a show of public devotion to the Islamic Republic and proof its revolutionary fervour continues to burn strong.
Irans supreme leader was killed by US and Israeli strikes in their first attack of the war. The funeral events will begin in Tehran at the weekend, with mass processions planned next week in Qom and Mashhad and ceremonies in Iraq.
The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic, Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi told state media.
