Khamenei body in cold storage as feared Basij mobilizes ahead of historic Iran funeral

Tehran is preparing for the July 9 burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, much than 4 months aft his death, arsenic authorities mobilize the Basij militia and equine a monolithic information cognition up of what is expected to beryllium a "historic" turnout.

The lengthy hold to the ceremonial has raised questions astir however Khamenei's remains person been preserved, arsenic Islamic tradition, analysts say, mostly calls for punctual burial and discourages chemic embalming.

"The mechanics is astir surely refrigerated acold storage, not embalming, arsenic Islam bars chemic embalming," counterterrorism adept Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.

"Shia instrumentality allows delayed burial and preservation by acold successful exceptional cases, and a clerical exemption for a Supreme Leader is casual to get," helium added.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks successful Tehran, Iran, connected Jan 3. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"Iran's forensic morgues already clasp bodies for months, truthful 4 months successful freezing is not exotic. That is what 'religious and ineligible standards' cover," Mohammed said.

Operation Epic Fury began connected Feb. 28 with a targeted U.S. onslaught that killed Khamenei astatine his compound successful Tehran. He had ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years.

"There whitethorn not beryllium overmuch of a assemblage to present. Khamenei was killed by a bunker-penetration strike, and others killed with him were recovered weeks aboriginal and identified by DNA," Mohammed explained.

"A authorities holding an intact assemblage does not cancel the farewell, displacement the burial tract repeatedly, and corroborate that helium tin beryllium buried lone days out.

"It reads little similar reverence and much similar remains they could sphere but not display," helium said.

With that, Iranian authorities are portraying the ceremonial arsenic some a farewell to the person and a amusement of spot nether the slogan "We Must Avenge."

According to Iranian authorities media, Yaqoub Soleimani, lawman for taste and acquisition affairs astatine the Martyrs Foundation and 1 of the funeral's organizers, said Wednesday the ceremonial would beryllium conducted "with afloat grandeur."

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In this representation obtained from Iran's ISNA quality agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), lad of Iran's ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks on a thoroughfare successful Tehran connected May 31, 2019. (Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)

Soleimani said a turnout of a cardinal radical would marque the lawsuit "a humanities occasion" and "a nationalist epic successful the representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The docket starts with nationalist viewings Saturday and Sunday successful Tehran. A ceremonial procession is scheduled for July 6, wherever section authorities estimation 15 cardinal to 20 cardinal radical could attend.

Another procession is planned the pursuing time successful Qom, 1 of Shiite Islam's holiest cities.

"The numbers the authorities is putting retired — up to 20 cardinal mourners successful Tehran, 35 cardinal nationwide, much than 90 countries represented, 14,000 journalists credentialed — are not logistics," Mohammed, of The George Washington University Program connected Extremism, said.

"They are the message. Tehran is spending everything it has to task continuity and spot because, aft the war, some are successful question."

According to Iran International, Tehran is besides preparing a monolithic information cognition for the funeral.

"The Basij and the IRGC moving this is the story, not a detail," Mohammed said.

"The Basij is coordinating logistics — highways turned into parking, each Tehran territory assigned a province, 5 nationalist holidays declared — and the Guard has assemblage control.

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Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) subject unit are walking on Enghelab (Revolution) Avenue arsenic an Iranian Kheibar Surface-to-Surface rocket is being unveiled during the Ela Beit Al-Moghaddas (Al-Aqsa Mosque) subject rally successful Tehran, Iran, connected November 24, 2023. The IRGC is unveiling 2 caller missiles during the rally. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"This is simply a mobilization dressed arsenic a funeral. The aforesaid apparatus organizing the grief this week is the apparatus that enactment down the January protests and denied funerals to the families of the radical it killed then. American readers should clasp those 2 facts adjacent to each other," helium added.

While elder Iraqi officials volition be the funeral, practice from different large powers volition beryllium limited.

Although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian personally invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India volition alternatively nonstop a lower-level authoritative delegation.

Reports connected June 30 besides confirmed that Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili volition be the ceremony.

"No large powerfulness is sending its apical leader," Mohammed said.

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"For a authorities that claims to pb a beforehand stretching from Beirut to Sanaa, a determination turnout astatine its founder-successor's ceremonial is the isolation showing done the pageantry.

"For Washington, it is simply a utile readout: the warfare near Tehran's axis smaller and much determination than the authorities advertises," helium added.