Iran holds the funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The burial follows weeks of nationwide processions and occurs amid internal challenges and disputed legacy after nearly four decades of Khamenei's rule.
The funeral comes at a critical moment for Iran, turning the page of nearly four decades of Khamenei's rule and months after the latest round of mass nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic.
A man waves a flag near Imam Reza's shrine as mourners arrive for the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Mashhad early on Jul 9, 2026. Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.
DUBAI: Iran buries its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday at the country's holiest shrine, with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view after being disfigured in the strike that killed his father. in Mashhad in northeast Iran follows a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies that have coincided with aCrowds marched through Mashhad on Thursday morning, the golden onion dome and minarets of the Shrine of Imam Reza glinting in the morning sun, as they waved Iranian flags, photographs of the late Khamenei and placards with revolutionary slogans.
As Khamenei's body was transported around Iran and Iraq over the past week, the Islamic Republic's clerical leaders encouraged huge crowds to attend in an effort to vaunt the might and ideological fire of their theocratic state. However, despite it having survived a months-long blitz by its strongest enemies the United States and Israel, Iran faces huge internal challenges and the legacy of Khamenei's 37-year rule is bitterly disputed.
Mourners pray as they gather on the day of the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, in Mashhad, Iran, on Jul 9, 2026. Mourners pray as they gather on the day of the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, in Mashhad, Iran, on Jul 9, 2026.
The whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei, proclaimed Supreme Leader by a clerical assembly a week after his father's death, have remained a mystery to Iranians. He has not appeared in public since the war began with the strike that killed Ali Khamenei on Feb 28, and while he has issued written statements, no image or video or voice recording of him has been issued.
Senior sources in Tehran have said he is recovering but that he has not yet been well enough to manage public appearances and state security services are also trying to limit his exposure in case of more US attacks. As crowds jostled in Mashhad awaiting Khamenei's funeral cortege, the crowd chanted slogans demanding revenge on US President Donald Trump for his killing.
“I swear by the blood of the Supreme Leader, Trump, we will kill you! ” they shouted, with women holding up placards reading"Kill Trump". Khamenei's remains, along with those of four family members killed alongside him, have already been paraded through Tehran, the Shi'ite Muslim 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.
Martyrdom holds a central place in Shi'ite theology and Khamenei's death at the hands of foreign enemies has played into a religious and political tradition that runs deep through the Islamic Republic. Mourners gather on the day of the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, in Mashhad, Iran, on Jul 9, 2026.
The funeral comes at a critical moment for Iran, turning the page of nearly four decades of Khamenei's rule and months after the latest round of mass nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic. Security forces put down that unrest, sparked by anger over the sanctions-throttled economy, by killing thousands of demonstrators in a wave of repression that echoed other bouts of violence over recent years.
While analysts see Iran as having emerged from the war strategically strengthened, with its grip over the vital Strait of Hormuz intact, it has suffered widespread damage that has added to internal economic woes. The late Khamenei was appointed supreme leader in 1989, a decade after the Islamic revolution, and over the decades he consolidated political, economic and military power in his office.
That effort, which increasingly marginalised the elected president and parliament, was conducted in concert with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that grew in influence throughout Khamenei's rule. Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed with the backing of the Guards, who are now seen as the dominant force in Iranian political and strategic thinking. Trump says interim accord to end Iran war is 'over', warns of new US strikes
Please follow us on Google to support usIran Khamenei Funeral Mashhad Imam Reza Shrine
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US Launches New Strikes on Iran After Hormuz Tanker Attacks, Escalating Tensions Over Strait Access and Nuclear DealThe US military conducted new strikes against Iran following attacks on three merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, further complicating interim negotiations over strait access, Iran's nuclear program, and a permanent ceasefire. The strikes, targeting Iranian air defense and missile systems as well as port facilities, came during Iran's Supreme Leader funeral and led Iran to accuse the US of violating the interim agreement. Simultaneously, the US revoked a license for Iranian oil sales in response to the attacks, while Qatar condemned the tanker assault as a breach of international law.
Read more »
Indian Crime Group Leader Charged in Connection with Sikh Leader's AssassinationThe leader of an Indian criminal group has been charged in connection with the assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada, as part of a massive law enforcement operation involving agencies across the US, Canada and Europe.
Read more »
Funeral Processions for Iran's Late Supreme Leader Begin in Najaf Amid Rising US-Iran TensionsThousands of mourners gathered in Najaf, Iraq, for funeral processions honoring Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The event, attended by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other officials, unfolded against a backdrop of heightened US-Iran military exchanges in the Persian Gulf, raising concerns about the collapse of a fragile interim agreement aimed at ending months of regional conflict.
Read more »
Iran to bury Khamenei in hometown as US ramps up strikesThe multi-day funeral ceremonies will end with Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday.
Read more »