According to Germany’s WELT, Iranian officials are making a show of force for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but behind the scenes officials are preparing for the death of 3,000 people.A report written by an anonymous journalist in Tehran stated that a confidential letter from the Iranian Red Crescent and the National Crisis Management Organization to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref estimated 1,500 to 3,000 possible deaths. Authorities have set up a special unit to handle the dead and missing, while thousands of new graves have been dug in Tehran’s Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery.A Tehran Municipality employee said, “Prepared graves actually exist.” “Those responsible were told that up to 3,000 would be okay to die. With such a large crowd and in such extreme heat, no one knew what would happen.”
The funeral ceremony began in Tehran on Saturday and will pass through Qom, the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before ending in Mashhad, where Khamenei will be buried on Thursday. Officials have spoken of around 20 million attendees – a figure often used to indicate mass support but difficult to verify.
Large scale security and logistics operation underway
Authorities have drawn up an elaborate security and logistics plan, including movement restrictions, possible air travel disruption, thousands of buses, makeshift kitchens and the use of schools and mosques to shelter participants.The Tehran municipality, run by hardline Mayor Alireza Zakani, is deploying 11,000 buses and keeping metro and BRT lines free and running around the clock. Each Tehran district has been allocated the equivalent of approximately 500,000 to 650,000 euros for the three-day celebrations.Government-affiliated journalists quoted by WELT put the total budget for Tehran at around 15 million euros, with an additional five million euros for Qom and Mashhad. With additional ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala, the funeral could become one of the most expensive state funerals in modern history.
Previous funeral disasters raise concerns
Iran has a troubled history with mass funerals. At least 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured during the funeral of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in Kerman in 2020. Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 funeral also turned chaotic, leaving at least eight dead and hundreds injured.WELT also reported deep political tensions around the ceremonies, with hardline supporters using nightly gatherings to condemn the US-Iran memorandum and threatening senior officials involved in the talks, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.Some attendees called for a continuation of the war to avenge Khamenei’s killing, while online videos showed fundamentalist religious speakers giving militant speeches, some of them holding rifles.The funeral is being held amid growing public frustration over the cost of ceremonies, economic hardship and the government’s use of state resources for political display.