Khamenei's funeral used to project strength as country faces uncertain future

ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy reports from Tehran where mass funeral processions continue for the late supreme leader

We set off just before dawn, and for once, Tehran’s clogged streets were empty of cars.

In their place, people are making their way towards the route of the funeral parade. Every few feet, food and drink were being handed out along with posters of the late Ayatollah.

It’s a public holiday here today to ensure maximum attendance.

It wasn’t long before the streets leading to the main route were packed with people who joined the procession through the capital, east to west.

It is now a mass of people, flags, posters of the late Ayatollah and posters threatening death to Donald Trump and revenge.

Though there were many chants of death to America, death to Israel, and at times the United Kingdom, there was no hostility expressed toward us, quite the opposite in fact.

Mourners at Ali Khamenei’s funeral holding images of him and his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. / Credit: AP

What the world will witness today with the funeral of the late Ayotollah Khamenei will mean so much to so many.

But what that meaning is will differ hugely.

For the Islamic Republic, its leaders and its believers, this is the theatre of state. Streets thronged with the loyal and bereft, a reminder of ongoing power. A power that has endured through war and protest and now ushers in a third era.

What that era looks like will matter less today than the image of strength and survival that this funeral will project to allies and enemies.

For those who do not share the ideals of the Islamic Republic and fear the power of the state or have experienced it, this day will represent the continuation of a rule they have sought and failed to unseat. The third era of the Islamic Republic is unlikely to be any closer to the Iran they seek and no easier to change.

For those who waged war on this country, namely the United States and Israel, this is another reminder of the failure of their military adventurism, though it will not be sold as that.

By killing the Supreme Leader on the first day of their 40-day war, they gave an old man martyr status and strengthened the hand of the hardliners who have since increased their power. Their continued ability to parade through the streets was not how this war of choice was meant to end.

There will be many perspectives on this day, but when it ends, there will be an ongoing reality for Iranians, irrespective of their political view.

That reality is trying to live life with the uncertainty of a fragile ceasefire and in the grip of a financial crisis few can escape. When the funeral spectacle is over, their daily challenges will continue.