Iran has buried its former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in an airstrike, bringing to an end days of nationwide funeral ceremonies. He was laid to rest at the revered Imam Reza Shrine in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
State television showed Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin being carried into the shrine as thousands of mourners gathered outside to pay their final respects. State broadcaster IRIB confirmed that the late leader was buried in the memorial hall of the Imam Reza Shrine.
The burial marked the conclusion of an extended series of funeral rites held across several cities in Iran and Iraq before the final interment in Mashhad. Senior Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Khamenei’s eldest son, Mostafa Khamenei, attended the ceremony.
However, there was no public appearance by Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view since assuming leadership, communicating only through written statements.
Large crowds dressed in black lined the streets of Mashhad to honour the late leader, with many chanting slogans and calling for vengeance. The burial concludes one of the most significant state funeral ceremonies in Iran’s recent history.