Burial of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad

Iran buried former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Friday, July 11, 2026, more than four months after his death. Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026, in US and Israeli airstrikes that also claimed the lives of four of his family members.

The burial took place in the memorial hall of the shrine, located in Mashhad — Khamenei's hometown in northeastern Iran. Funeral processions began the Saturday before the burial and lasted approximately a week, including events in Tehran, Qom, and the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Khamenei's son Mojtaba succeeded him as Iran's Supreme Leader, having been proclaimed by a clerical assembly approximately one week after his father's death. However, Mojtaba Khamenei was notably absent from public view during the funeral ceremonies and had not made any public appearances since the February 28 strike.

The February 28 strike that killed Ali Khamenei triggered a broader military conflict between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. Iranian retaliation followed the initial strikes, and the conflict lasted several months before a ceasefire was reached.

Khamenei ruled Iran for approximately 37 years after being appointed Supreme Leader in 1989, a decade after the Islamic Revolution. His tenure reshaped Iran's political structure and regional posture over more than three decades.

Center outlet France 24 reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the same February 28 strike that killed his father, with his face disfigured and limbs badly wounded. According to senior sources in Tehran cited by France 24, Mojtaba is recovering from his injuries, while Iranian state security services are limiting his exposure due to concerns about further US attacks; he has communicated only through written statements.

France 24 reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader with the backing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is now seen as the dominant force in Iranian political and strategic thinking. The outlet noted that during Ali Khamenei's rule, the role of Iran's elected president and parliament was increasingly marginalized, while the IRGC grew in influence.

Center-right outlet The Times of India reported that Iranian authorities shut down streets and closed airspace during the funeral period, and that Khamenei's body was transported by air to the shrine due to crowd sizes. The outlet also reported that Khamenei's eldest son Mostafa led the funeral prayers, while three of Khamenei's four sons attended the ceremony.

The Times of India, citing state broadcaster footage, reported that crowds displayed anti-Trump banners during the funeral procession. The outlet also noted that Khamenei is only the second Iranian ruler to be buried in Mashhad, following Nader Shah, who was assassinated in 1747 after nearly 11 years in power.

Center-right outlet The Times of India reported that the United States attributed attacks on civilian tankers in the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and conducted two consecutive days of strikes in response, which Iran subsequently retaliated against. According to the outlet, the United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June to end their conflict, establishing a 60-day ceasefire and roadmap for ongoing negotiations; the agreement was initially drafted on June 14 and officially took effect on June 17.

Center-left outlet South China Morning Post reported specific casualty and target claims from Iranian sources during the conflict. According to the outlet, Iranian officials reported that US strikes killed 17 people, and state media said one US strike targeted a railway line between Tehran and Mashhad. The outlet also reported that Iran claimed to have resumed attacks targeting US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, while Jordan's military said it intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran as sirens sounded in Jordan.

Center outlet France 24 assessed that Iran survived the US-Israeli military campaign with its grip over the Strait of Hormuz intact, but faces huge internal challenges including economic woes, war damage, and mass protests in which security forces killed thousands of demonstrators. Despite having suffered widespread physical damage that added to its internal economic woes, analysts cited by France 24 assessed that Iran emerged from the war strategically strengthened.