MASHHAD: Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday night, following six days of funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq.
According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, funeral prayers were led by Khamenei’s eldest son, Mostafa Khamenei, before the burial took place at around 10:00 p.m. local time. Iranian officials said the burial site was chosen in accordance with Khamenei’s will and the recommendation of his family.
The Imam Reza Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, receives millions of pilgrims annually and is a major religious destination in Iran.
Iranian media reported that millions of mourners attended funeral prayers and farewell processions in Mashhad. Participants waved Iranian flags, red flags symbolizing vengeance, and other banners during the ceremonies. Some attendees were also seen carrying Pakistani flags.
Khamenei’s body arrived in Mashhad earlier in the day aboard a special aircraft from Karbala after a funeral procession that spanned several cities in Iran and Iraq. During the six-day mourning period, funeral prayers and commemorative ceremonies were held in Tehran, Qom, Najaf, and Karbala.
Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of Khamenei’s office, said the late leader had expressed his wish during his lifetime to be buried near the Imam Reza Shrine.
Iranian authorities described the week-long ceremonies as being conducted with reverence and widespread public participation. Claims by Iranian media regarding the number of attendees, including reports of around four million mourners in Karbala, could not be independently veri
