MASHHAD/ISLAMABAD (MNN); Funeral prayers for Iran’s assassinated Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, were offered late Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects amid tight security and soaring temperatures.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the funeral prayers were led by Khamenei’s eldest son before the late leader was laid to rest at the revered Shrine of Imam Reza, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
The burial marked the conclusion of six days of nationwide mourning and funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq. Earlier prayers had taken place in Tehran under Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani and in Qom under Ayatollah Javadi Amoli before the final rites in Mashhad.
Iranian authorities say Khamenei was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on February 28 during the opening phase of the Middle East conflict. He was buried alongside several close family members, including his infant granddaughter, daughter, son-in-law and Zahra Haddad Adel, the wife of his son Mojtaba Khamenei, all of whom were killed in the same attack.
Before the burial, Khamenei’s coffin was carried through the streets of Mashhad in a large funeral procession attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners waving Iranian flags and red banners symbolising calls for revenge.
State media footage showed crowds filling roads leading to the Imam Reza Shrine, chanting religious slogans and mourning the late leader.
According to reports, heightened regional tensions prompted security authorities to escort the aircraft carrying Khamenei’s coffin to Mashhad with military fighter jets following renewed hostilities involving the United States.
The funeral procession concluded nearly a week of ceremonies that also included processions in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, reflecting Khamenei’s influence across the wider Shia Muslim world.
Many mourners carried red flags while chanting slogans against the United States and Israel, expressing anger over the assassination and calling for retaliation.
Officials in Mashhad estimated that millions of people attended the funeral, with authorities deploying extensive arrangements, including water misting systems, to help mourners cope with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius.
Observers also continued to watch for any public appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since reports that he was injured in the strike that killed his father.
Several senior Iranian clerics attended the burial ceremony, while state media described the funeral as one of the largest public gatherings in recent years.
