As the funeral of Iran's former supreme leader Ali Khamenei moved to Qom and Najaf, Iran's leadership weighed the mandate from millions who filled Tehran's streets over three days.
Some hailed the moment as a referendum supporting the clerical establishment, calling for intensified confrontation with the West.
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Others viewed it as national pride conditional on demands for change and an end to war.
Government sources believe they organized mass shows of support without disorder or signs of coercion, despite Western media and social influencers being permitted into Iran.
In Qom, Khamenei's body arrived by helicopter, and the Jamkaran mosque reached capacity seven hours before morning prayers.
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli read the prayer in a choked voice.
Estimates for the Tehran turnout vary wildly, from 350,000 to 35 million. The Financial Times reported 12 million attendees, pleasing the government.
At minimum, the turnout rivaled the 1989 funeral of Ruhollah Khomeini, when 5–7 million mourned.
Decades of economic troubles and political repression under Khamenei damaged the regime's support base.
However, many in the procession were educated and opposed what they saw as the extra-judicial killing of their leader.
Mohammad Ali Kadivar, associate professor at Boston College, described the funeral as a major episode of state-led mobilization.
He noted that since 1979, the state has built dense infrastructure through mosques, Basij, schools, and media to organize public participation.
Kadivar added that the Islamic Republic also has a real social base—large, organized, and ideologically committed—though not a majority.
