Iran International
Dozens of messages sent to Iran International say Iranian authorities and state-linked institutions are pressuring workers, businesses and charities to take part in funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The accounts describe a broad campaign of workplace directives, business closures and logistical mobilization in the days leading up to Khamenei’s funeral and burial.
The Islamic Republic's second Supreme Leader was killed on the morning of February 28, in the opening hours of the war with Israel and the United States.
More than four months after Khamenei's death, authorities say he will be buried on July 9 following five days of ceremonies across Iran and Iraq. Officials have attributed the unusually long delay to wartime conditions and security concerns, a sign of the political sensitivity and logistical difficulty surrounding the former leader’s burial.
Several messages said that businesses had been warned to close during the ceremonies or face penalties if they remained open.
"We received a text message from the real estate union saying we are not allowed to open our office during the funeral days and must attend the ceremonies," one Tehran resident wrote.
Another message from Tehran said members of the Basij visited shops and warned owners that businesses opening during the mourning period would be sealed.
"My parents are shopkeepers. Basij members told our shop and others nearby that if we open during the funeral days, the shop will be sealed," the citizen said.
Others described wider economic disruption linked to the ceremonies.
One Tehran gym owner wrote that officials had instructed fitness centers to close from Saturday through Wednesday.
Another message said Tehran's Grand Bazaar had been ordered shut until Thursday, adding that the prolonged closure would place further pressure on already struggling businesses.
Workers describe mandatory attendance
Several messages added that public-sector employees were ordered to attend official ceremonies.
One Tehran municipality employee said all leave had been canceled and staff across municipal bodies had been ordered to attend the ceremonies.
Another message referred to an audio recording attributed to the human resources director of Tehran Municipality's District 10, which instructed all employees, including parents with young children and workers with serious medical conditions, to attend.
The Hamshahri newspaper group, another citizen said, had instructed management to provide 200 employees for the ceremonies.
Workers at automaker Saipa also described disruptions, with one employee saying overtime had been canceled as company facilities were prepared to accommodate around 2,000 visitors from Iraq attending the funeral.
Charities, restaurants and residents pressured
Messages also pointed to pressure beyond government workplaces.
One message from Nahavand in Hamedan province said local officials summoned charities on Wednesday and demanded they contribute to the funeral, warning that their work could be disrupted if they refused.
Another said that police and Basij members visited restaurants in an industrial town near Tehran and warned owners they must prepare thousands of free meals for mourners or risk closure.
A Tehran resident also reported that text messages encouraged households to host visitors traveling to the capital for the ceremonies.
Extensive state mobilization
Official announcements indicate the authorities are preparing a large logistical operation for the funeral.
The Basij Organization for Guilds said 50 million loaves of bread were being prepared nationwide with the participation of bakers' unions, while 16 mobile bakeries would be deployed across Tehran and surrounding areas to prevent shortages.
Several messages criticized the scale of those preparations, contrasting them with economic hardship and reductions in public support.
"Free trains and hotels are available for their leader's burial, but student food subsidies have been cut," one student wrote.
Another message said bread was being transported from Kerman for the ceremonies, adding that transport resources would face additional pressure.
Iran has announced that funeral processions will begin in Tehran on July 4 before continuing through Qom, Najaf and Karbala ahead of Khamenei's burial in Mashhad on July 9. Authorities have also announced heightened security measures, including temporary airspace restrictions over Tehran and Mashhad during the ceremonies.
