The body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was transported to Qom, Iran’s center of Shiite religious scholarship, on Tuesday for an official prayer service and public procession. This event marks the latest phase in a series of nationwide commemorations following the death of the country’s supreme leader, who was killed in February amid escalating conflict involving the United States and Israel.

The ceremonies in Qom came after three days of mourning in Tehran, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects and called for retribution over Khamenei’s assassination. Following the rites at Jamkaran Mosque in Qom—a site held sacred by many Shiite Muslims—his remains are scheduled to be taken to several holy cities in Iraq before being interred on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad.

The funeral service in Qom was led by Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli, a senior conservative cleric from the generation that participated in Iran’s 1979 revolution. State media broadcast images showing significant public turnout in the city, highlighting its enduring importance as a religious and political hub. Historically, Qom has played a pivotal role in Iran’s political landscape, especially during the decades leading to the revolution, serving as a stronghold for opposition to the monarchy. Many clerics educated there, under the guidance of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—the country’s first supreme leader—rose to prominence following the upheaval.

Ayatollah Khamenei wielded considerable influence both politically and religiously. In addition to leading Iran’s armed forces and holding the country’s highest political office since 1989, his authority was rooted in the Shiite doctrine of velayat-e faqih, or guardianship of the Islamic jurist, which vests ultimate political power in the hands of a senior religious figure. Although Khamenei assumed the role of supreme leader initially as a mid-ranking cleric, he was rapidly promoted to ayatollah, fulfilling the religious qualifications necessary for the position.

During his tenure, Khamenei tightened state control over clerical finances, education, and administration in Qom, reinforcing the city’s dependence on government oversight. He also formalized a specialized clerical court system, which critics have described as secretive and unconstitutional, used to suppress religious dissent against the regime.

One notable figure who challenged Khamenei’s authority was Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, once considered a potential successor to the supreme leadership. Montazeri openly criticized the Iranian government’s harsh treatment of prisoners in the 1980s and later expressed support for reformist protesters during the 2009 elections, issuing religious edicts advocating for human rights. As a result, he was placed under house arrest in the 1990s.

Montazeri’s funeral in Qom in 2009 drew hundreds of thousands, transforming the event into a significant display of opposition sentiment. His challenge to the clerical establishment underscored ongoing tensions within Iran’s religious and political leadership throughout Khamenei’s rule.