State funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28, 2026, during U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, is being laid to rest following a multi-day state funeral from July 4 to 9. The funeral procession toured various locations, including Tehran, Qom, and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, before returning to Iran for the final burial in his birthplace, Mashhad. Alongside the leader, the remains of his family members, including a daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and a 14-month-old granddaughter, were also interred. The ceremonies occurred amidst ongoing military tensions, with reports of renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, subsequent Iranian retaliation against facilities in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, and disruptions to the Tehran-Mashhad railway line. While Iranian authorities claim high levels of public unity, the heir-apparent, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public. The U.S. and Israel report their actions as military responses to threats, while Iran continues its official anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric throughout the mourning events.