Iran is preparing to bury its slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in one of the holiest cities of the country, as the fallout from his death continues to ripple across the region.
Citing the semi-official Fars news agency of Iran, AFP reported that he will be laid to rest in Mashhad, the northeastern city where he was born and where his father is buried at the revered Imam Reza shrine.
Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, was killed at the age of 86 during a wave of joint US-Israeli strikes during this past weekend. His death was announced by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social, and later confirmed by the Iranian regime.
Before the burial, a “large farewell ceremony” will be held in Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly said on its Telegram account. No date for the burial has been disclosed yet.
Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, is one of the country’s most important religious centres. It is home to the Imam Reza shrine, a major pilgrimage site in Shia Islam that draws millions of visitors each year.
Khamenei was Iran’s longest-serving head of state and only the second supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. As the country’s highest authority, he held ultimate power over key state matters, including defence, the economy and education.
Over more than three decades, he maintained a firm grip on Iran’s political system while expanding its influence across the Middle East.
MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
The ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which have seen a sharp escalation in just a few days, have claimed more than 500 lives, as per an estimate. Iran is responding to the US-led offensive with repeated missile and drone attacks targeting Arab countries in the Middle East.
(With inputs from agencies)
