Iranian authorities are reportedly preparing contingency plans for the possibility of mass casualties during the funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to a report by Germany’s WELT.
Citing a classified document and municipal sources in Tehran, the report said officials projected that between 1,500 and 3,000 people could die during the week-long funeral processions. However, the claims have not been independently verified.
According to WELT, the report was written in Tehran by an anonymous author whose identity is known to the newspaper’s editors.
Contingency plans reportedly in place
The newspaper said a classified letter from the Iranian Red Crescent and the national crisis management organisation to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref outlined preparations for a possible mass-casualty incident.
According to the report, a special unit has been established to manage the dead and missing, while thousands of graves have been prepared at Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.
A Tehran municipal employee, quoted under a pseudonym for security reasons, told WELT that colleagues in the city’s crisis headquarters had confirmed the preparations.
“The prepared graves really exist,” the employee was quoted as saying. “Those responsible were told that up to 3,000 dead would be okay. With such a large crowd and this extreme heat, no one knows what will happen.”
Large-scale security operation
Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies began in Tehran on Saturday and are scheduled to continue in Qom, the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, before concluding with his burial in Mashhad on Thursday.
WELT reported that Iranian authorities had planned an extensive security and logistical operation, including movement restrictions, possible disruptions to air travel, the deployment of thousands of buses, temporary kitchens and the use of schools and mosques to accommodate participants.
The report said officials had spoken of attendance reaching 20 million people, although the figure could not be independently verified.
According to WELT, Tehran Municipality, led by Mayor Alireza Zakani, is overseeing much of the operation, including the deployment of 11,000 buses and the round-the-clock operation of metro and bus rapid transit services.
Concerns over safety and costs
The report said each district in Tehran had reportedly been allocated between 500,000 and 650,000 euros for the three-day ceremonies, excluding additional funding for emergency services, transport, parks and construction agencies.
Government-linked journalists cited by WELT estimated the budget at about 15 million euros for Tehran alone, with an additional five million euros each allocated for ceremonies in Qom and Mashhad. With events also planned in Najaf and Karbala, the newspaper said the funeral could become one of the costliest state burials in modern history.
The scale of the preparations has drawn attention because of Iran’s history of fatal crowd incidents during state funerals. At least 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured during the 2020 funeral of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, while the 1989 funeral of Ruhollah Khomeini also resulted in multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries.
WELT also reported heightened political tensions surrounding the ceremonies, saying supporters of the Islamic Republic had criticised the US-Iran memorandum and directed threats at senior officials involved in negotiations, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
According to the report, some participants called for continued war to avenge Khamenei’s killing, while videos circulating online showed hardline religious speakers delivering militant speeches and some attendees carrying rifles.
The funeral is taking place amid a fragile ceasefire and growing public concern over the cost of the ceremonies, economic pressures and the government’s use of state resources.
