NAJAF, July 7 (Reuters) - The coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Iraq’s holy city ‌of Najaf on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies in Iran, bringing ‌a multi-day procession to one of Shi'ite Islam's most sacred sites following the ​leader's death in a February 28 U.S.-Israeli strike.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and senior Iraqi officials received the coffin at Najaf International Airport ahead of funeral ceremonies and a mass public procession, state TV ‌reported.

Najaf holds special significance for ⁠Shi'ites worldwide as the burial place of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.

Iranian ⁠President Masoud Pezeshkian also arrived in Najaf to participate in the ceremonies.

The official reception at the airport was attended by Iraqi political leaders ​and Shi’ite ​religious figures, before the coffin ​is carried through the city ‌in public mourning events expected to draw large crowds on Wednesday.

Iran's state-organized funeral ceremonies, which began on Friday, have been designed as both a religious commemoration and a demonstration of continuity by the Islamic Republic following the death of the leader who ruled Iran ‌for nearly four decades.

The procession moved from ​Tehran to the Shi'ite seminary city ​of Qom before arriving ​in Iraq.

Iraqi authorities tightened security around Najaf ahead of ‌the arrival as large numbers of ​mourners traveled from ​across Iraq and neighboring countries.

The procession is due to continue to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala before the coffin ​returns to Iran ‌for burial in Mashhad later this week.

(Reporting by Reuters in ​Najaf; Additional reporting Muayad Hameed and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing ​by Nia Williams and Sanjeev Miglani)