Khamenei was killed on February 28 this year, along with several family members and members of top Iranian security leadership, in an attack by Israel and the United States, at the start of the war.

The funeral will begin on Saturday, and Khamenei's body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of the Supreme Leader, who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West, though his leadership was marked by controversies surrounding women's rights.

On Thursday, Tehran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called for a big turnout for the event. "The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," Ghalibaf said.

More than 20 million people are expected in Tehran for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

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