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Vast crowds mourn Khamenei in Najaf
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Massive crowds 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.
In Karbala, mourners waved Iranian flags and held portraits of Khamenei, as they waited for the coffin to reach the main procession route.
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 hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.
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