Tehran mourners pack streets for Ayatollah Khamenei funeral procession

Hundreds of thousands of mourners filled streets across Tehran as the coffin of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, moved through the capital in a large funeral procession.

The gathering followed the deaths of Khamenei and several family members in a joint United States and Israeli airstrike on 28 February. For many on the ground, the procession offered the closest access they would get to the supreme leader's casket and to the remains of relatives killed in the same attack. Security arrangements kept most mourners at a distance, yet the crowds remained vast and the mood visibly intense.

The atmosphere across the city was charged throughout the procession. Large sections of the crowd shouted "death to America" and voiced vows of revenge against the United States, President Donald Trump, and Israel. Iranian authorities appeared to have brought supporters out in force, with officials saying they expected several million people to turn out on the streets nationwide to witness the funeral events and follow the casket as it moved through the capital.

The casket continued its journey through Tehran as part of a wider route. It is expected to travel to other cities across the country before being placed at its final resting place in Mashhad.

CNN correspondent Arwa Damon, reporting from Tehran, described the turnout as enormous and the scene as intensely emotive. She said mourners were pressing forward amid dense crowds, viewing the procession as their nearest chance to see the fallen supreme leader and his kin.