Iranian authorities have announced that funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be held over several days across the country, with officials expecting millions of mourners to participate.

Yaqoub Soleimani, deputy for cultural and educational affairs at Iran’s Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, said during a coordination meeting on Wednesday that the ceremonies would be conducted on a large scale and were expected to become a significant national event.

According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, Soleimani said all available resources and facilities would be mobilised to support mourners attending the ceremonies.

Farideh Olad Qobad, the foundation’s deputy for cooperative and social affairs, said counsellors and social workers would be deployed throughout the ceremonies.

She added that authorities were preparing a document in English and Arabic outlining Khamenei’s legacy and the significance of the funeral events for international audiences.

According to the announced schedule, a farewell ceremony for Khamenei will be held at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Musalla on July 4 and 5, followed by a funeral procession in the capital on July 6.

Additional processions are scheduled to take place in Qom on July 7 and in Mashhad on July 9, where Khamenei is due to be buried at the Imam Reza shrine.

Khamenei was killed on February 28 in an air attack carried out by the United States and Israel.