Sawt Falasteen - Iranian leaders pay respects to supreme leader as Tehran prepares for funeral

Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions.

A coterie of foreign dignitaries is also due to attend Saturday's official ceremony, with Tehran's chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.

AFP photographs showed mourners carrying Khamenei's coffin, emblazoned with Iran's tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the Islamic republic's most important ceremonial venues.

Others showed crowds at a pre-funeral ceremony clad in black, as the coffin was set down against a backdrop of red flowers and white butterflies hanging in the air.

State TV broadcast footage of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paying his respects on Friday afternoon alongside parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, also appeared, making his first appearance since the start of the war in February.

The city was preparing to take in huge numbers of visitors, with Ezzat Shoai, a 61-year-old teacher telling AFP that her neighbourhood had "prepared our houses to welcome those who come from outside the capital".

"God willing... we will go together to say goodbye to our dear leader."

Elsewhere in Tehran, a large park was transformed into a camp with hundreds of Red Crescent tents set up on the grounds.

Workers could also be seen removing all barriers from Azadi Avenue, a major thoroughfare through which the funeral procession will pass on Monday.

Tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down the participants, and a model boat -- a Shia symbol -- draped in red flags had been erected.

Preparations for Khamenei's public funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, are taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.

Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would attend the ceremony.

China, Afghanistan and Iran's neighbours in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.

- 'Vengeance' -

Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for "all the Iranian people... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence".

"The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," Ghalibaf, who is Iran's speaker of parliament, added in a statement.

Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital.

He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring Khamenei's image and quotes.

The bodies of his slain relatives, including his three-year-old granddaughter, will also be present.

The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country's history.

Ghalibaf called it "one of the most significant moments" in Iran's history.

- Multi-city commemorations -

Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran's notorious traffic.

Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and the burial ceremonies, will observe public holidays while the events are underway.

Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.

The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.

Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei's body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

It remains unknown if Khamenei's son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since before becoming supreme leader, will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people pouring in from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST