Iran has started a days-long state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, beginning in Tehran and expected to run through July 9.

The ceremonies begin with public farewells at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayer complex and a period in which the body is viewed by mourners. The main funeral procession then moves through central Tehran after prayers held for Khamenei and his family.

From Tehran, the program continues with events in Qom, Iran’s major Shia religious center. The procession is then taken to Iraq for further ceremonies in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Khamenei’s final burial will take place in Mashhad, his birthplace and home to the Imam Reza shrine, which Iranian officials say is where the largest crowds are expected to gather.

Iranian authorities have said the funeral has been delayed due to war conditions, and organizers are preparing large-scale security and crowd-management plans across the different cities, with the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps taking major roles in logistics and coordination.