Iran’s assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest at the country’s holiest shrine in Mashhad on Friday, state media reported, following a week of large-scale funeral processions and mourning ceremonies.
Thousands gathered in the northeastern city for the burial, while Khamenei’s son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, remained out of public view.
The burial ceremony came after days of funeral events across Iran and Iraq, coinciding with renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington following weeks of a ceasefire in the four-month conflict.
Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. Washington and Tehran later agreed to a truce last month.
His coffin was transported by truck through crowded streets of Mashhad on Thursday toward the golden dome and minarets of the Shrine of Imam Reza, accompanied by white-turbaned clerics walking alongside the procession.
Mourners dressed in black followed the convoy, waving Iranian flags, carrying photographs of Khamenei and holding red banners featuring revolutionary slogans.
The burial marked the conclusion of a week of official funeral ceremonies in Iran and Iraq, where religious leaders had encouraged large public participation.
‘Kill Trump’ slogans emerge at funeral
The location of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was declared Iran’s new supreme leader by a clerical assembly in early March, has remained unknown to the public.
He has not made any public appearance since the start of the war. Although he has released written statements, no images, videos or audio recordings of him have been made public.
Reports suggest he suffered serious injuries in the strike that killed his father, including severe facial injuries and damage to his limbs.
Officials in Tehran have said he is recovering but is not yet fit to appear publicly. Security officials are also reportedly limiting his exposure due to concerns over possible further US attacks.
During the funeral procession in Mashhad, crowds chanted slogans calling for revenge against US President Donald Trump over Khamenei’s killing.
“I swear by the blood of the supreme leader, Trump, we will kill you!” the crowd shouted, while some women held signs reading “Kill Trump”.
Anti-US chants echo at shrine
As evening fell, the shrine’s courtyard filled with mourners chanting “Death to America” alongside funeral prayers and traditional music played through loudspeakers.
A helicopter carried Khamenei’s coffin from the procession route over the dense crowd for the final part of the journey to a blue-tiled section of the shrine.
Khamenei’s eldest son, Mostafa, led the funeral prayer, after which male mourners carried the coffin, decorated in Iran’s red, white and green flag colours, into the shrine.
Videos showed mourners holding candles, reaching toward the coffin and crying during the ceremony.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that the burials of Khamenei and four family members who were also killed in the strike had been completed.
Before reaching Mashhad, Khamenei’s remains were taken through Tehran, Qom and Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, where large crowds gathered for funeral ceremonies marked by mourning chants and revolutionary slogans.
