Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi along with top officials greeted the coffin upon landing at Najaf International Airport before planned funeral rites and a large public procession, according to state media.

A vehicle carrying the coffin of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moves forward while mourners join the funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, on July 8, 2026

(photo credit: REUTERS/ALAA AL-MARJANI)

ByREUTERS

JULY 8, 2026 07:45

Updated: JULY 8, 2026 11:37

The coffin of Iran's former supreme leader Khamenei reached Iraq's holy city of Najaf on Tuesday following funeral ceremonies held in Iran, extending a multi-day procession to one of Shi'ite Islam's most revered locations after the leader's death in a February 28 US-Israeli strike.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi along with top officials greeted the coffin upon landing at Najaf International Airport before planned funeral rites and a large public procession, according to state media.

Najaf carries deep meaning for Shi'ites globally as the resting place of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also reached Najaf to take part in the ceremonies.

The formal welcome at the airport included Iraqi political figures and Shi'ite religious leaders, ahead of the coffin being carried through the city in public mourning events set to attract large crowds on Wednesday.

Processions serve as religious commemoration and propaganda opportunity

Iran's state-organized funeral ceremonies, which started on Friday, were arranged as both a religious commemoration and a show of continuity by the Islamic Republic after the death of the leader who governed Iran for nearly four decades.

The procession traveled from Tehran to the Shi'ite seminary city of Qom before reaching Iraq.

Iraqi authorities increased security measures around Najaf ahead of the arrival as large numbers of mourners journeyed from across Iraq and neighboring countries.

The procession is scheduled to proceed to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala before the coffin returns to Iran for burial in Mashhad later this week.