Huge crowds mourn Khamenei during funeral procession in Najaf

Thousands of people thronged the streets of Najaf and packed the courtyards of its majestic shrine as they mourned the late supreme leader during his funeral procession in Iraq.

Iran began six days of public funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei on Saturday, including a dedicated day in neighbouring Iraq, home to the most sacred Shia shrines.

After a massive procession in Iran's holy city of Qom, Khamenei's body was brought on Tuesday night to Iraq, where authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday.

Inside the shrine, thousands jostled to get closer to the coffin as it was carried away in the mausoleum's halls - its last stop in Najaf before being flown to another holy city, Karbala.

Khamenei's funeral will conclude with his burial on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.

Reporting by AFP.