Shafaq News- Baghdad

More than two million people joined the funeral procession of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Najaf on Wednesday, while around 4,300 Iraqi and foreign journalists covered the event, the Higher Committee for the Funeral Ceremonies announced.

Committee spokesperson Saad Maan told Shafaq News that live coverage began at 5 a.m. local time and continued throughout the day, with media coverage including nearly 1,000 accredited international journalists and about 3,300 Iraqi media workers representing television channels, news agencies, radio stations, newspapers, and digital platforms. Around 20 satellite news gathering (SNG) vehicles were also deployed, most providing clean feeds to media organizations.

The ceremonies, which began in Najaf in the morning, drew crowds that participants compared to the Ashura and Arbaeen commemorations, when millions of Shiite Muslims gather in Najaf and Karbala to mourn Imam Hussein bin Ali, the third Shiite Imam.

Following the Najaf procession, Khamenei’s body was scheduled to be transferred to Karbala for additional funeral rites, where security officials expect between six and seven million mourners to attend. The body is set to return to Iran on July 9 for burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad.