Iran began on Saturday morning the official funeral ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a ceremony that lasts six days and includes stops in Iraq, before his body is laid to rest in the city of Mashhad.

Thousands of mourners have flocked since dawn to the courtyard of the Great Tehran Prayer Hall, where Khamenei's coffin is placed.

Iranian state television reported the start of the ceremony, while authorities imposed strict security measures and extensive traffic restrictions around the funeral site, as participants continue to arrive at the main square of the complex.

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Iranian authorities had revealed on Friday Khamenei's coffin inside the prayer hall, where it was placed on a raised platform and covered with flowers, ahead of the official funeral ceremony.

According to the announced schedule, the funeral ceremony lasts six days and includes stops in Iran and Iraq, before the body is laid to rest in the city of Mashhad.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, on the first day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.