Iran is preparing to bury Ali Khamenei on July 9, more than four months after he was killed in a US strike in Tehran at the start of Operation Epic Fury.
The long delay has raised questions over how the regime preserved his remains. Analysts believe the body was likely kept in refrigerated storage, not chemically embalmed, because Islamic law generally calls for burial quickly and opposes embalming. The delay has also fueled speculation that there may be little of the body left to publicly display after the strike.
Tehran is trying to turn the funeral into a national show of strength. The regime is mobilizing the Basij and IRGC for a huge security and logistics operation, with public viewings, processions in Tehran and Qom, and claims of millions of expected mourners. Authorities are presenting the event under revenge slogans, clearly aiming to project continuity after the war and after the death of the man who ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years.
But the image of strength may hide weakness. According to analysts, no major world power is sending its top leader. India reportedly declined to send Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite a personal invitation from President Masoud Pezeshkian, while other major powers are sending limited representation.
