Funeral for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei begins
by Joe Fisher · UPIJuly 6 (UPI) -- The funeral procession for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began Monday in Iran drawing hundreds of thousands to the city's streets.
Monday's funeral procession is expected to take Khamenei's coffin from the Grand Mosalla of Tehran and through the city's streets. His body will then go to Qom, an Iranian holy city, then to a Shiite holy site in Iraq.
The funeral procession is slated to last for six days.
Khamenei, 86, was killed in a military strike by the United States. His body is joined by those of family members who were also killed in the strike.
Memorial activities for Khamenei went through the weekend with three of his sons in attendance Sunday. Missing was his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his father's death on Feb. 28. He was injured in the strike that killed members of his family.
The funeral procession's route has been altered due to the size of the crowd.
Talks between the United States and Iran are on pause for the duration of Khamenei's funeral. President Donald Trump touted the United States' victory over Iran during his Fourth of July speech marking the 250th anniversary of America.
On Monday in the Oval Office, Trump reiterated that Iran's military "has been destroyed."
"Iran, we're doing actually equally as well, we're just not getting the kind of coverage that we should, but we have eviscerated them militarily, and the bottom line is our country is strong," Trump said.