Regime expects millions for delayed ceremony

Key Points:

• Iran is preparing a multi-day funeral ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed alongside family members in U.S. and Israeli attacks on Tehran on Feb. 28, marking only the second time a supreme leader has been laid to rest in the country.
• The funeral, expected to draw up to 20 million people in Tehran, will serve as both a religious event and a political demonstration of the Islamic Republic's strength and resilience amid ongoing tensions with the U.S.
• Events will include a viewing and prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, processions through the capital, and ceremonies in Qom and Iraq, highlighting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' regional influence before Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad.
• Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, appointed as the new supreme leader but not seen publicly since being wounded in the attack, is not expected to attend the funeral, raising questions about his health and leadership status.
• Khamenei’s legacy includes empowering the IRGC as Iran’s dominant military and political force, with hardline elements rising since the conflict began; prominent figures like parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have called for national unity and resistance against perceived oppression.