Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Funeral activities will begin in Tehran on July 4 and continue for three days.
Iran has announced plans to bury its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on July 9, more than four months after he was killed in airstrikes carried out by Israel and the United States.
According to reports from Iranian state television, the burial will take place in Mashhad, the northeastern holy city where Khamenei was born. The funeral was originally expected to hold in March but was delayed because of the conflict that followed his death.
The funeral activities will begin in Tehran on July 4 and continue for three days in the Iranian capital. Another ceremony is scheduled to take place in the holy city of Qom on July 7 before his remains are finally laid to rest in Mashhad two days later.
Khamenei led Iran for almost 37 years and was one of the country’s most influential political and religious figures. He died on February 28 during airstrikes that also killed several other senior officials.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, took over as Iran’s supreme leader in early March, becoming the third person to hold the position since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.
Reports indicate that Mojtaba was injured during the same attacks that claimed his father’s life. Since assuming office, he has not made any public appearance and has mainly communicated through written statements released in his name.
The start of the funeral ceremonies on July 4 will also coincide with the United States’ Independence Day celebrations, which mark the country’s 250th anniversary this year.
Iranian authorities are expected to host large gatherings during the funeral period as supporters and officials pay their last respects to the former leader before his final burial in Mashhad.
