The coffins of the ayatollah and his family members killed on February 28 will be taken through the streets of the Iranian capital to reach Mehrabad International Airport. Authorities have closed roads, restricted airspace and curtailed daily life for the period of mourning, which will end on Thursday with the burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his hometown.

The funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran, Iran. The supreme leader’s coffin, wrapped in the Iranian flag, and those of his relatives killed on February 28 in the airstrike at the start of the war involving Israel and the United States will be transported on a truck. They will pass through the capital’s streets en route to Mehrabad International Airport.

“The funeral procession for the revered body of the Imam and martyred leader began a short time ago in the capital,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (Irib) wrote on Telegram, adding that “a massive crowd of mourners is participating.”

Authorities have closed roads, restricted airspace and affected daily life for the mourning period, which will conclude on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

On Sunday in Tehran a funeral prayer was held before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. Khamenei’s three sons, Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa, were present, but not Mojtaba, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, who was injured in the raid.

Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the United States have been put on hold. The two countries have decided to suspend negotiations for one week until the funeral ceremonies conclude.

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