Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been laid to rest after his death during the initial stages of the Iran war. He governed Iran for almost 37 years before being killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that triggered the conflict on Feb. 28. The burial took place in his hometown of Mashhad early Friday following several days of public mourning.
Khamenei is only the second leader of the nation to be interred in Mashhad. In 1747, Nader Shah was buried in the city after being assassinated following nearly 11 years in power. The funeral processions commenced on Saturday, leading to the closure of streets, airspace, and daily activities in Tehran, the capital of Iran, and other cities, as crowds honored the man who ruled Iran with a firm hand for decades while confronting the West.
Despite a ceasefire, tensions with the United States reignited this week, with Iran still controlling the crucial Strait of Hormuz and boasting its survival against a lengthy assault by its formidable adversaries.
Iranian authorities are portraying Khamenei’s burial and the massive turnout at his funeral as proof of the enduring popularity of their theocratic state and its ideological fervor almost half a century after the 1979 Islamic revolution. However, beneath the surface, Iran grapples with significant internal challenges, and the legacy of Khamenei’s 37-year reign is fiercely debated in a nation where many have protested against poverty and repression in recent years.
The whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei, declared supreme leader by a clerical assembly a week after his father’s demise, remain unknown to Iranians. He has not made any public appearances since the war began and is recovering from severe injuries sustained during the same attack that killed Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28.
As throngs gathered in Mashhad for Khamenei’s funeral procession, chants demanding retribution against U.S. President Donald Trump echoed through the crowd. The roads leading to the shrine were filled with mourners dressed in black, responding to slogans praising Khamenei and denouncing Iran’s adversaries, including the familiar revolutionary cry of “Death to America.”
Amid scorching July temperatures, the crowds awaiting the coffins were cooled down by hoses spraying water high into the air. Khamenei’s remains, along with those of four family members who perished with him, were paraded through various cities, drawing large crowds accompanied by Shia laments and revolutionary slogans.
Khamenei’s death marks a pivotal moment for Iran as it transitions from nearly four decades of his rule, following the recent wave of nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic. Despite strategic gains from the war, Iran has endured significant damage that compounds its internal economic challenges.
Appointed as supreme leader in 1989, Khamenei wielded political, economic, and military power over the years, consolidating authority in his office alongside the influential Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Mojtaba Khamenei, backed by the Guards, is now perceived as a key figure in Iranian political and strategic circles.
