Ali Khamenei Laid to Rest in His Hometown

This was how the Iranian people paid their final respects to their late leader. Following six days of official funeral ceremonies, Khamenei was laid to rest in his birthplace, Mashhad, on Thursday. Before the burial, his coffin was taken to Tehran and Qom in Iran, as well as Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, where crowds gathered to honor him. It is estimated that tens of millions of people participated in the funeral events.

According to the report, the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, along with four members of his family, in a U.S.-Israeli attack.

Al Jazeera reported that he was buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, where former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had also been laid to rest.

Khamenei’s son and current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was absent throughout the funeral proceedings. However, his three other sons attended the funeral prayers. Mojtaba was reportedly injured during the U.S.-Israeli attack, and his whereabouts have been the subject of widespread speculation. The Iranian government has stated that he is being kept out of public view for security reasons.

Reuters reported that millions of mourners began gathering on the streets of Mashhad from early morning for the burial ceremony. As they waited for the arrival of the coffin, angry demonstrators demanded severe retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump. Many women participating in the procession carried anti-American placards.

According to NDTV, the vehicle carrying Khamenei’s body traveled slowly through the crowded streets of Mashhad toward the golden dome and minarets of the Imam Reza Shrine, escorted by religious leaders wearing white turbans. Behind it marched thousands of mourners dressed in black, carrying Iranian flags, portraits of the late leader, and red banners bearing revolutionary slogans.

Video footage published on the Supreme Leader’s official website showed that when the aircraft carrying Khamenei’s coffin arrived in Mashhad from neighboring Iraq, it was escorted by at least one fighter jet. Earlier, millions had paid their respects when the coffin was taken to Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday.

The coffins of several members of Khamenei’s family who were also killed accompanied his own in Mashhad, including that of his 14-month-old granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani. His son-in-law, one of his daughters, and Zahra Haddad Adel—the wife of Mojtaba Khamenei—were also to be buried alongside him.

Earlier, the coffin had been placed in Tehran and Qom to allow the public to pay their respects. Representatives from more than 70 countries attended the funeral ceremonies. On the final day of the six-day mourning period, large crowds filled the streets of Mashhad. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the funeral prayer was led by the 101-year-old Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani.

Earlier, Iran’s Chief of Staff Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani told state television that Khamenei had personally expressed his wish to be buried in his hometown, where his family members would also be laid to rest beside him.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among the key figures in the 1979 Iranian Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, which brought an end to the Pahlavi monarchy. He later played a central role in building Iran’s military and paramilitary establishment.