Iran Uses Khamenei Funeral to Project Unity

A week of funeral ceremonies began Friday in Tehran for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during US and Israeli airstrikes. His coffin, along with those of several family members, was placed in a large prayer hall, where Iranian officials and foreign delegations from Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen paid their respects.

Before the funeral in the holy city of Mashhad, Khamenei's body will be taken to major Shiite religious centers in Iran and Iraq.

The authorities are using the funeral to project the strength and unity of the Islamic Republic. Police and Basij paramilitary forces have imposed tight security across Tehran, while the government has warned the US and Israel against carrying out further attacks.

Despite the official display of unity, however, Iran remains deeply divided after 37 years of Khamenei's rule.

Public support for the clerical establishment has weakened, the economy continues to struggle under international sanctions and the country is still grappling with the aftermath of the January protests, which claimed thousands of lives.

Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, has assumed the role of Supreme Leader. His father's death has revived the Shiite tradition of martyrdom, with mourners carrying portraits of the late leader and openly calling for revenge. The emotional atmosphere has been intensified by the deaths of Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in the same attack, a tragedy that supporters have compared to events central to Shiite religious history.

(Reuters, Max)