Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Iran's capital Tehran on July 5 to pay their respects to the late Ali Khamenei, who was reported killed in military strikes attributed to the United States and Israel.

A funeral prayer (janazah) was held at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla mosque complex, where the ceremony was led by Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, The Caspian Post reports via Anadolu Agency.

From the early morning hours, vast crowds carrying Iranian national flags gathered at the venue to take part in the prayer service and commemorate the late leader.

Among those attending the ceremony were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, senior military and political officials, and prominent religious figures.

A larger public farewell ceremony is scheduled to take place in Tehran on July 6, after which Khamenei's body will be transferred to the holy city of Qom for burial.