Thousands gathered across Iran on Thursday to honor ali khamenei, with memorial rallies beginning at 9: 40am ET, the exact time he was killed on February 28 at his Tehran residence. State television showed crowds in several cities, including Tehran, Urmia, and Gorgan, as mourners carried portraits and marked the day of remembrance. The nationwide tribute comes as a formal state funeral has still not been held because the war remains ongoing.
Rallies spread from Tehran to multiple cities
In the capital, mourners in black began their rally from Jomhouri Eslami Square toward the neighborhood of the office of Ali Khamenei in central Tehran. Similar commemorations were shown in other cities, with footage capturing large gatherings and a steady flow of people paying tribute.
The memorial events were staged on Thursday at the exact hour of the killing, underscoring the symbolic weight of the moment. The commemoration also reflected the scale of public mourning after months of conflict that followed the attack.
The war’s shadow still shapes the tribute
Ali Khamenei governed Iran for nearly 40 years before he was killed in US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the latest Middle East conflict. That attack set off a broader confrontation in which Iran responded by targeting US assets and allies across the Gulf and launching strikes against Israel.
The continued fighting has delayed a formal state funeral, leaving the memorial rallies as the most visible national tribute so far. His successor, son Mojtaba Khamenei, has remained out of public view since before the war began and was not expected to attend Thursday’s events.
What the ceremonies show now
The demonstrations suggest that the mourning period remains politically and emotionally charged, with images of Ali Khamenei still central to public remembrance. State television said the ceremonies would continue into the night, extending a day already defined by mass participation and wartime memory.
For now, the focus remains on the scale of the gatherings and the absence of a formal funeral. As the conflict continues, the public tribute to ali khamenei appears set to remain one of the clearest markers of how deeply his killing has shaped the country’s moment of crisis.
