“If they suffer from heatstroke or have any other problem, we will help them… with water or food,” she added, as temperatures were expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.
In recent days, state television has been broadcasting frequent warnings on how to protect against the heat and prevent crowd crushes.
In 2020, more than 50 people died during the funeral of Qasem Soleimani — the last event comparable in terms of crowd size.
On Monday, Khamenei’s remains will be carried through the streets of Tehran for a final farewell, before the funeral procession travels to the holy city of Qom the following day.
In preparation, water tanker trucks have already been positioned along the path from the Grand Mosalla to the iconic Azadi Square, ready to cool down the crowd.
Iranian authorities have planned a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled Iran as its number one from 1989 until his assassination in a joint strike by US and Israel on the first day of the US-Israeli war on February 28.
After five weeks of fighting, the war is on hold following an initial Pakistan-brokered accord between Iran and the US.
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Foreign guests
The coming days will be closely scrutinised for signs of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only by written statements and is said to have been wounded in the same strikes, though the extent of his injuries was never made clear.
Other relatives killed in the strikes will also be buried, including Khamenei’s infant granddaughter.
Officials and international dignitaries also paid their last respects to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.
Türkiye Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz leading a delegation of senior Turkish officials to pay their respects.
Among the international guests was Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US, and who attended alongside the Pakistani army chief Asim Munir.
Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian security council, attended on behalf of President Vladimir Putin.
Hamas Shura advisory council leader Mohammed Darwish represented the Palestinian resistance group, while relatives of the former leader of Lebanese group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated in an Israeli strike in 2024, were also present.
