The commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, threatened Israel and the US against making “any miscalculation” during former Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei's week-long funeral, warning of “harsh and regrettable responses” in the case of an attack in a Friday statement.
Khatam al-Anbiya is the Joint Command of Iran's military.
Khamenei's funeral is slated to begin on Saturday and is expected to be the largest event in the history of the Islamic Republic. It will span several major cities in Iran and Iraq, with ceremonies in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Najaf, and Karbala.
The ceremony was scheduled months earlier but was postponed due to the ongoing conflict with the US.
Iranian media reported that millions of people are set to participate in the mass event, with the mayor of Tehran estimating 15 to 20 million attendees in the capital alone.
Khamenei was killed in Tehran in joint US-Israeli strikes at the start of operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury in February, alongside his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law. His son, Mojtaba, has since taken on the mantle of supreme leader.
Khamenei's coffin goes on display amid funeral preparations
In an "unannounced event" amid the ongoing funeral preperations, Khamenei's coffin was put on display in Tehran, according to a late Thursday X/Twitter post by the State TV broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Footage shared by IRIB on social media appears to show a large, cheering crowd standing before a stage decorated with flowers.
Standing alongside the displayed coffin are several Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Ahmad Vahidi in his first public appearance since the start of the Israel-Iran War.
Vahidi also reportedly met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and other senior officials to address matters related to the funeral preparations.
N12 reported that Ghalibaf met with representatives of the Amal Movement, a Lebanese Shia political party, on Wednesday as part of the ceremony’s preparations.
Members of the movement will reportedly attend Khamenei's funeral as well.
Crowds must 'avenge the death' of Khamenei, Ghalibaf urges
Ghalibaf urged Iranians to “rise up” and “demand revenge” during a speech on Thursday.
“I call on all members of the Iranian people to create a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran with their impressive presence and to prove once again that the Iranian nation in its great moments stands united and loyal to its alliance,” said Ghalibaf.
“The noble and deep-rooted Iranian people are not silent in the face of injustice and arrogance and will not give up on the blood of their leader,” he added.
Other world leaders and officials from more than 30 countries, including Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon, are expected to attend the funeral, Iran’s state-owned Press TV noted.
The report cited Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian as confirming their attendance, as well as the attendance of religious leaders from over 90 countries.