TEHRAN, Iran

Iran has postponed a farewell ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike.

The ceremony was scheduled to begin on Wednesday evening, but Iran’s state broadcaster said organizers have decided to postpone it in light of the “anticipated unprecedented turnout of mourners.”

The new date and time will be announced later, the outlet said.

The head of Tehran’s Islamic Propagation Coordination Council, the body responsible for organizing such ceremonies, had earlier said that proceedings would commence at 10:00 p.m. local time (1830GMT) at Imam Khomeini Mosalla, the grand prayer complex where Friday congregational prayers are traditionally held.

Organizers said Khamenei’s body would lie in state of honor at the Mosalla, with doors open for three days to allow mourners to pay their final respects.

Special religious and cultural programs were planned for each of the three days, starting Wednesday evening.

The funeral procession was scheduled to take place after the three-day mourning period.

There are conflicting reports regarding Khamenei’s place of burial. However, some media outlets report he is likely to be laid to rest in the northeastern city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

His father, a prominent cleric of his time, is also buried in Mashhad at the revered shrine of Imam Reza, which is a popular pilgrimage site in the country.

Khamenei’s slain family members, including his wife, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, will also be buried on the same day.

They were killed on the first day of the US-Israeli offensive on Saturday, which has so far claimed nearly 900 lives nationwide, including 165 schoolchildren in the southern Iranian city of Minab.

According to sources, heightened security measures will be in place for both the three-day mourning ceremony and the funeral procession, as attacks continue from both sides.