MASHHAD, Iran — Iran concluded a week of funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday with his burial at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, following processions in Iran and neighboring Iraq that drew large crowds of mourners and senior political and religious figures.
The burial marked the final stage of a multi-day state-organized commemoration that began in Tehran before moving through the holy city of Qom and across the border into the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, both central to Shi'ite Islam. Iraqi authorities hosted official ceremonies after Khamenei's remains arrived in Najaf, where funeral prayers were held at the Imam Ali Shrine before processions continued to Karbala and later returned to Iran.
State officials said the ceremonies were intended to honor Khamenei's religious and political leadership. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials participated in events during the week, while Iraqi political leaders and Shi'ite clerics also attended ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala.
Television footage broadcast by Iranian state media showed mourners lining procession routes, carrying Iranian flags and religious banners, and reciting prayers as the coffin passed through cities in both countries. Independent estimates of attendance were not immediately available, and crowd figures reported by state media could not be independently verified.
The funeral ceremonies came months after Iranian authorities said Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes during the conflict that erupted earlier this year. The United States and Israel have acknowledged military operations against Iran during the conflict, while broader claims surrounding the circumstances of Khamenei's death remain part of the wider dispute between the parties.
Iranian officials have portrayed the nationwide mourning events as a demonstration of national unity following the war, while the ceremonies in Iraq underscored the close religious and political ties between Tehran and influential Shi'ite institutions in the neighboring country. Iraqi authorities facilitated the transfer of Khamenei's remains through Najaf and Karbala before they were flown back to Iran for burial in Mashhad, his birthplace.
Friday's burial at the Imam Reza shrine concluded the official funeral program announced by Iranian authorities. The government has not announced further nationwide public ceremonies beyond the completion of the burial rites.
