Iran prepares for dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in war

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is preparing for the dayslong funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Banners across Tehran urge the public to rise up in support of the Islamic Republic after the devastating war that killed the 86-year-old cleric. The country’s theocracy hopes to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning Saturday in scenes reminiscent to the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. That could provide a boost for its government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war.