Khamenei body in cold storage as feared Basij mobilizes ahead of historic Iran funeral

Tehran is preparing for the July 9 burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than four months after his death, as authorities mobilize the Basij militia and mount a massive security operation ahead of what is expected to be a "historic" turnout.

The lengthy delay to the funeral has raised questions about how Khamenei's remains have been preserved, as Islamic tradition, anaylsts say, generally calls for prompt burial and discourages chemical embalming.

"The mechanism is almost certainly refrigerated cold storage...