Massive crowds on Wednesday filled Iraq's holy cities and their shrines to mourn Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei during a funeral procession ahead of his burial back home.

At the gilded Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, mourners carried the coffin as it swayed from side to side, and many jostled and pressed forward in a desperate attempt to touch it.

Karim Hassan, who attended the procession in Najaf, described Khamnei's death as "a calamity, a tragedy," adding that the funeral ceremonies "are a fitting tribute" to "a leader who cannot even be described."

In Karbala, mourners waved Iranian flags and held portraits of Khamenei, as they chanted in response to a voice blaring from loudspeakers, praising the Islamic republic, its leaders and the commanders of Tehran's "axis of resistance," which include Iraqi armed groups.

Iran began on Saturday six days of funeral ceremonies, which included a series of locations that reflect the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic.

It dedicated a day to neighbouring Iraq – a Shia powerhouse with close ties to Tehran and home to the faith's most sacred shrines.

The ceremonies, which started in Tehran and passed through Iran's holy city of Qom, will culminate with Khamenei's burial on Thursday in his home town of Mashhad in northeast Iran.

The Islamic republic hopes the marathon ceremonies will project strength and unity after the Middle East war, which started with US-Israeli strikes that killed Khamenei and several relatives on February 28.

The procession in Iraq came as the United States and Iran renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP)



Edited by Cecil Wong