Iran's holy city residents bid farewell to Khamenei, coffin moved to Iraq for continued ceremonies.

Iran’s marathon funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei concluded on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom, and will next be moved to neighboring Iraq to continue.

After the large-scale funeral procession held in the capital Tehran the day before, thousands of people paid their respects to Khamenei in Qom on Tuesday. At the scene, attendees held red flags and placards, cursing U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to death. Qom is home to the most influential theological seminary and holy sites of Shia Islam, and the streets of Qom, a city with a population of about 1.5 million, were packed with mourners.

Khamenei’s body is expected to be transported to Iraq on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, funeral contingents will escort the coffin as it passes through the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Iraqi authorities have announced that large numbers of security personnel will be deployed during the funeral.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than 30 years and died at the age of 86, will be buried on Thursday (9th) in his hometown, the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Iranian authorities hope that, through this event, the country will demonstrate strength and unity after 6 months of cracking down on anti-government protests.

Khamenei and 4 relatives were killed in airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran when the Middle East war broke out in late February.