Tehran: Four months after being killed in the opening salvos of the Iran war, Iranian supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been buried on Friday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The funeral processions began on Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran, Iran’s capital.
Where did the funeral happen?
Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in his hometown of Mashhad on Friday, over four months after he was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israeli military campaign in late February.
Iran on Friday buried its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The final farewell followed a week of funeral processions and mourning ceremonies. Khamenei was killed in a US airstrike on February 28, the first day of the war.
How did funeral happen?
Funeral processions began on last Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, closing airspace and bringing daily life to a standstill in Tehran and other cities.
Khamenei’s body was placed on a truck and carried through the crowded streets of Mashhad to the shrine of Imam Reza. Thousands of mourners dressed in black joined the funeral procession, waving Iranian flags, pictures of the late leader, and red posters bearing revolutionary slogans.
On Friday morning, the coffins of Ali Khamenei and four other members of his family were flown from Iraq to Mashhad. Earlier, large funeral processions were held at major Shia shrines in Najaf and Karbala. Thousands of people dressed in black took to the streets of Mashhad, carrying Iranian flags, pictures of Khamenei, and red banners. Many protesters chanted slogans against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Banners with government messages such as “We must rise” were also displayed around the city.
Khamenei was buried in the mausoleum within the Imam Reza shrine complex. Built in the ninth century, this shrine is considered the holiest shrine for Shia Muslims, drawing millions of pilgrims annually. Khamenei was also born in Mashhad and received his early religious education there.
When was Khamenei killed?
Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on his Tehran residence on February 28th, the first day of the war between Iran and the US and Israel. Several family members were also killed along with him. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was later appointed the new Supreme Leader, but he has not been seen in public since reports of injuries in the attack and did not attend the funeral ceremonies.
Meanwhile, tensions between the US and Iran have escalated again. In response to the US attacks, Iran has claimed to have targeted US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. Three weeks ago, the two countries reached an agreement on a ceasefire and nuclear talks, but the latest military action has deepened the crisis.
