Iran laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad on Wednesday, more than four months after he was killed in an airstrike. The burial came as two days of tit-for-tat attacks between the United States and Iran raised fears of a return to all-out war.
Burial Ceremony in Mashhad
Khamenei’s flag-covered coffin was carried into the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, eastern Iran, as a large crowd waited outside and listened to prayers. State broadcaster IRIB reported that the body of the martyred leader was buried in the memorial hall of the shrine. There was no sign of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being appointed.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Khamenei’s eldest son Mostafa Khamenei were present at the shrine, with some senior figures weeping over the coffin, according to state TV images. Mojtaba Khamenei has only communicated through written statements and is said to have been wounded in the February 28 strikes that killed his father.
Escalating US-Iran Attacks
The burial followed a second day of attacks between Washington and Tehran. Iranian officials reported that US strikes killed 17 people, and state media said one strike targeted a railway line between Tehran and Mashhad, 55 kilometers from Mashhad, forcing the line’s closure and requiring passengers to transfer to buses. Iran also resumed attacks targeting US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, while sirens blared in Jordan, where the military said it intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran.
A US defence official said the dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran were either intercepted or caused no significant damage, with no injuries to American personnel. The US military targeted the perimeter of Iran’s only civilian nuclear plant in Bushehr, according to Iranian state media, though a US defence official said the US was not currently carrying out strikes on Iran.
Regional Tensions and Threats
Khamenei was killed alongside close family members on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28. The Wall Street Journal reported, based on anonymous sources, that Israel told the United States their intelligence had detected a new Iranian plot to kill US President Donald Trump. Crowds in Mashhad chanted slogans against Trump, with some urging vengeance.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel was prepared to attack Iran a third time if needed, vowing to do so with even greater force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump, who updated him on American moves in the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz remains a key point of contention, with Tehran insisting on control of the waterway. The Iranian military hit at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets.
