Crowds estimated in the millions have filled the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The massive event is widely seen as a display of strength by the theocratic regime as it engages in peace negotiations with the United States.

Khamenei and several family members were killed in an airstrike at the outset of a war launched by the US and Israel on February 28. Their coffins, placed on a truck adorned with ornamental grating reminiscent of an imam's shrine, were the focus of the procession.

Mourners carried placards and banners calling for the death of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Misted water was sprayed to cool the crowd amid high temperatures.

According to General Hasan Hasanzadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the procession will move through Tehran for 12 hours before reaching Mehrabad International Airport. The official mourning period ends Thursday with Khamenei's burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

Khamenei's son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed to succeed his father, has not appeared at any ceremonies. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being badly wounded in the same airstrike. Israel has threatened to kill him.

Talks between the US and Iran on ending the war are reportedly on hold until the funeral events conclude. Key issues include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route closed by Iran, and Tehran's nuclear program, which the US claims aims to develop nuclear weapons—a charge Iran denies.

Source: www.dw.com