Among those attending was Reyhaneh Abdi, who spoke of her grief during the ceremony.

"I loved my leader with all my soul, and my greatest wish was to sacrifice my life for him, but it didn't happen. Now, I am deeply ashamed before my leader that I survived, while my leader was martyred, by the most wicked creatures and the lowest of people ," she said.

Another mourner, Saeid Khane-Baz, said Khamenei's death would not weaken the Islamic Republic.

"They are so weak to think that by martyring the high official, the commander-in-chief, the Supreme Leader, the country will be destroyed. No, they are mistaken. They have trained many soldiers. I am also a soldier. We are all soldiers, and we will remain soldiers of this country," he said.

Iranian authorities have introduced extensive arrangements to accommodate the large crowds, converting mosques, parks and stadiums into temporary facilities and setting up camps for mourners.

A public funeral procession is scheduled to take place on July 6 before ceremonies move to the holy city of Qom on July 7.

The funeral observances are expected to conclude in Mashhad, where Khamenei is due to be buried at the Imam Reza shrine on July 9.

The remarks come after US and Israel i strikes on February 28 that Iranian authorities and multiple media reports said killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a widening conflict across the Middle East. Iran has since launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and on US-linked interests in several regional countries, particularly in the Gulf.

Pezeshkian, who sits on a three-member interim leadership council formed after Khamenei’s death, also sought to reassure neighbouring states after Iranian strikes in the region. “I must apologise… to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” he said, adding that they would not be targeted unless attacks originated from their territory.

He said the interim council had agreed to halt strikes on neighbouring countries going forward. “No more attacks will be made on neighbouring countries, and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries,” he said.

Opening his remarks with reference to the June conflict between Iran and Israel, Khamenei acknowledged Iranian losses but framed them as part of the reality of war. “Yes, we have suffered losses, dear lives have been lost — there is no doubt about that. This is the nature of war… But the Islamic Republic has shown that the centre of will and power can make decisions and stand powerfully,” he stated.

Khamenei went on to accuse the United States of fuelling instability across the globe. “For the sake of oil and underground resources, they are willing to ignite wars anywhere in the world. Today, this warmongering has reached Latin America ,” he said, adding that Iran has no interest in aligning with governments backed by U.S. influence.

He further argued that U.S. policies were pushing Washington into deeper international isolation. “Even if the presidents of some countries flatter it, among nations, America becomes more hated day by day. Wherever it has intervened, it has led to warmongering, genocide, destruction or displacement,” he said.

Khamenei’s comments come months after U.S. airstrikes targeted Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.