Public Holiday in Iraq in 2026
Nine Iraqi provinces have declared Wednesday July 8th 2026 a public holiday to facilitate public participation in the funeral procession for Iran’s martyred leader.
The provinces of Baghdad, Najaf, Muthanna, Karbala, Babil, Dhi Qar, Basra, Maysan, and Wasit had previously announced Wednesday as a public holiday for the same purpose.
Meanwhile, Qasim Ali Al-Yasari, head of the Karbala Provincial Council, said preparations for receiving the body of the martyred Iranian Leader had been completed. He announced that the day of the funeral procession in Karbala would be an official holiday to enable citizens to participate in the ceremony in a manner befitting the late Leader’s stature and the significance of the occasion. Al-Yasari also said he would personally attend the funeral procession.
According to the report, funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei are scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the holy Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf.
Iran has announced three days of public holidays in the capital Tehran for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies, state television reports.
“The farewell ceremony and prayers for the martyred leader’s body will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 4th and 5th 2026, in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, and the funeral will be held on Monday, July 6, and Tehran province will be off for these three days,” IRGC commander Hassan Hassanzadeh, in charge of the funeral ceremonies, is quoted as saying.
Earlier, state media said Tehran would be on holiday on July 4th and 5th, while the whole country will follow suit on July 6th.
The funeral was originally planned for March but was postponed due to the war in the Middle East, which was triggered by the US-Israeli attacks in February that killed Khamenei.
Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba succeeded his father as supreme leader in early March, becoming the third person to hold the position since the regime was established in 1979.
Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the bombing that killed his father and other officials. He has not been seen in public since his appointment and communicates solely through official statements.
