Hundreds of Thousands Mourn Khamenei in Najaf as Iraq Stages Rare Funeral for Foreign Leader
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Hundreds of Thousands Mourn Khamenei in Najaf as Iraq Stages Rare Funeral for Foreign Leader
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Summary
Hundreds of thousands of mourners packed Najaf on Wednesday, pressing around the truck carrying Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s coffin in a major Iraqi funeral procession.
Five days after ceremonies in Iran, the procession extended mourning for the supreme leader killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the February war on Iran; his body is due back in Iran on Thursday for burial in Mashhad.
Iraq’s official reception for Khamenei’s coffin on Tuesday was unusually significant, with little historical precedent for one country holding a state funeral for another nation’s leader.
Nearly 37 years of Khamenei’s rule helped Iran build deep influence in Iraq through Shiite religious ties and militia alliances, and the turnout signaled those bonds remain intact despite U.S. and Israeli efforts to weaken Tehran’s regional network.