Iranians to bid farewell to Khamenei as Israel threatens to kill successor

Israel’s defence minister says next leader ‘target for assassination’ as Iranians prepare to mourn Khamenei in Tehran.Published On 4 Mar 2026Grieving Iranians will bid farewell ⁠to late ⁠Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a ceremony in Tehran, a senior Iranian official told state media, ‌days after he was assassinated along with family members in joint air strikes by Israel and the ‌United States.Hojjatoleslam Mahmoudi, head of Iran’s ⁠Islamic Propagation Council, said the farewell ceremony would start at 10pm (18:30 GMT) on Wednesday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Prayer Hall and continue for three days.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US and Israel step up attacks as war with Iran engulfs regionlist 2 of 3Destruction seen after attack on Iran’s Assembly of Experts buildinglist 3 of 3How long can Israel sustain a military conflict with Iran?end of list“The ⁠prayer hall will be ⁠receiving visitors and the dear people can attend and take part in the farewell ceremony and mark ⁠a strong presence once again,” Mahmoudi said in comments ⁠carried by Iranian media.Funeral arrangements are ongoing and are expected to draw huge crowds, and, with them, the potential threat of US-Israeli attacks on a gathering of mass mourning. Some 10 million people attended Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in 1989.Khamenei was killed on Saturday, aged 86. He had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, succeeding Khomeini, the founder of the post-shah Iran, who steered the country’s 1979 revolution.The supreme leader holds ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military and the judiciary, while also acting as the country’s spiritual leader.Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a senior Iranian cleric who is a member of both the powerful Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts, said the country was close to choosing the late Khamenei’s successor.“The Supreme Leader ⁠will be identified ⁠in the closest opportunity, we are close ⁠to a conclusion, ⁠however the ⁠situation in the country is a war situation,” ‌Khatami told state TV.The 88-member Assembly of Experts is elected by the public every eight years. Candidates who run for the Assembly must first be vetted and approved by the Guardian Council, a powerful oversight body whose members are partly appointed by the supreme leader himself.