Iran on Thursday buried its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the revered Imam Reza Shrine in his hometown of Mashhad, bringing to a close six days of funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq following his death in the February 28 US-Israeli strikes.
Khamenei's coffin, accompanied by the remains of several family members killed in the same attack, arrived in the eastern holy city under fighter jet escort, according to footage released by his official website.
Iranian fighter jets escort the bodies of Ali Khamenei and his family during the funeral procession
— RT (@RT_com) July 9, 2026
MiG-29 fighter jets roared over Mashhad to honor the late leader and secure the skies above the ceremony pic.twitter.com/yTQhnTNOLw
The coffins had earlier been taken through Tehran, the clerical city of Qom, and the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala before reaching Mashhad for the final rites.
Khamenei was laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine, Iran's holiest Shia shrine and the burial place of the eighth Shia Imam. The site also houses the tombs of several former Iranian rulers and former President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
According to Iranian officials, Khamenei had expressed his wish to be buried in his hometown. He was buried alongside family members, including his daughter, son-in-law, infant granddaughter and Zahra Haddad Adel, the wife of his son Mojtaba Khamenei, all of whom were killed in the February strikes.
Large crowds gathered in Mashhad for the final funeral procession, with mourners waving Iranian flags, carrying portraits of Khamenei and chanting pro-revolution slogans. The burial prayer was led by senior cleric Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani, state media reported.
The funeral took place amid renewed regional tensions, with Iran and the United States exchanging strikes for a second consecutive day. Tehran said it had resumed attacks targeting US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, raising fresh concerns over a wider conflict in the region.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been named Iran's new Supreme Leader, has remained out of public view since the strike that killed his father. Iranian media and senior officials have said he is recovering from injuries sustained in the same attack, while security concerns have also limited his public appearances.
