Sawt Falasteen - Supreme leader's body arrives at Tehran religious complex for funeral

Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday's official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran's chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.

Photos 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 show 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.

Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, made his first appearance since the start of the war in February, paying his respects at the coffin, Iranian media footage showed.

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.

Workers were readying the Grand Mosalla on Thursday, while security teams stopped passing cars and curious bystanders looked on.

"We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide," said worker Hossein Moghadassi, clad in a hat and a scarf to cover his face as the temperature soared.

"People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds."

Tehran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher 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 images and quotes of Khamenei.

The bodies of his slain relatives will also be present.

- Multi-city commemorations -

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.

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 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.

B.AbuZeid--SF-PST