Iran Buries Former Supreme Leader Khamenei as US-Iran Strikes Escalate
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin was carried into the shrine of Imam Reza in his hometown of Mashhad, eastern Iran, where thousands of mourners gathered to attend the final funeral ceremony.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iran on Friday buried its former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in an airstrike, as renewed exchanges between the United States and Iran heightened fears of a return to full-scale conflict.
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin was carried into the shrine of Imam Reza in his hometown of Mashhad, eastern Iran, where thousands of mourners gathered to attend the final funeral ceremony.
State broadcaster IRIB reported that the "body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution was buried in the memorial hall of the shrine of Imam Reza."
The burial marked the conclusion of six days of funeral ceremonies and came amid a second consecutive day of military exchanges between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian officials said U.S. strikes killed 17 people, while state media reported that one attack targeted a railway line linking Tehran and Mashhad.
In response, Iran said it resumed attacks on U.S. military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. Air raid sirens also sounded in Jordan, where the military said it intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran.
Khamenei was killed alongside several close family members on February 28, the opening day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Friday's burial was closely watched for any public appearance by his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since assuming the leadership.
Senior Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Khamenei's eldest son Mostafa Khamenei, attended the ceremony. State television showed several officials mourning beside the coffin.
However, Mojtaba Khamenei was absent from the ceremony. Since his appointment, he has communicated only through written statements and is reportedly recovering from injuries sustained in the February 28 strikes.
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black gathered outside the shrine, with some chanting anti-U.S. slogans and calling for retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump.