The funeral prayers for assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei were offered late on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of mourners, braving sweltering heat and calling for revenge, massed in his hometown of Mashhad.
An Israeli strike assassinated Khamenei in late February on the first day of the Middle East war.
Following the funeral prayers, the late supreme leader was laid to rest at the Shrine of Imam Reza, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
Khamenei was buried with his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife Zahra Haddad Adel, who were all killed in the February 28 strikes.
Earlier, Khamenei’s body was carried by truck slowly through the crammed streets of Mashhad in northeastern Iran towards the gilt dome and minarets of the shrine.
Thousands of people filled the streets of the eastern city. Footage posted by IRNA showed the procession en route to the shrine , where the assassinated leader was buried.
With new hostilities breaking out with the United States even after an accord last month to end the war, at least one fighter jet escorted the plane carrying the late Iranian leader’s coffin to Mashhad.
The burial was the final act in a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies, which have allowed people to pay tribute in Tehran, the clerical hub of Qom and also in Iraq.
Men wore black shirts while women were clad in black chadors, many waving the red flags that symbolise vengeance, AFP correspondents said.
“People here all seek revenge,” said Mohammad Afsharian, 41, a shop owner.
“I don’t know what’s the story with diplomacy and what’s the policy to continue diplomacy but all the people are carrying red flags in a sign of seeking revenge,” he said.
Mourners attend the burial ceremony for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, in Mashhad, Iran, July 9. — Reuters
Chants against America
The shrine’s courtyard was a sea of mourners as dusk fell, their defiant chants of “Death to America” ringing out above the funeral laments.
Senior ayatollahs sat waiting on a raised dais, under the intricate blue tiling of an arched recess.
As the crowds awaited the coffins of Khamenei and his family in the sweltering July heat, hoses pumped water high into the air to spray across the mourners and keep them cool.
Khamenei’s remains, along with those of four family members killed alongside him, have already been paraded through Tehran, the clerical centre of Qom and the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala.
At each event, huge crowds have thronged the streets to the mournful accompaniment of sung Shi’ite laments and chanted revolutionary slogans.
‘There will be blood’
Observers have been watching closely for any signs of Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make any public appearances and was said to have been injured in the same strike that killed his father.
Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini was quoted on state television as saying he “expects 15 million people” to attend Khamenei’s funeral.
Near the mausoleum, many children were present. Many have come with their families, wearing caps in the colours of the Islamic Republic.
With temperatures hitting 35°C, water sprinklers were used to keep the faithful cool. At the foot of a hotel called Miami, a giant banner showed a caricature of US President Donald Trump with a bounty on his head.
Another sign showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a message in English: “There will be blood.”
The funeral was originally set to begin on Thursday at 6am (7:30am PKT), but local media later cited organisers as saying it would begin at 2pm (3:30pm PKT) because ceremonies in Iraq had run late.
Meanwhile, the eruption of fighting forced the closure of the rail link between Tehran and Mashhad, a city located some 800 kilometres east of the capital, although road transport was being organised for stranded passengers, the state rail company said.
‘Here for our martyred leader’
Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies included a series of locations that reflect the religious, political and ideological pillars of Iran.
His chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpaygani, had previously said on state television that Khamenei himself had wished to be buried in Mashhad.
Several notable figures have been buried in the shrine over the centuries, including several former Iranian shahs, as well as former president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
“We are here for the sake of our martyred leader, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, for Iran, or my country, for my beliefs, for Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, for the existence of Iran that ages for millennia and had thousands of years of civilisation,” said shop owner Afsharian.
