MASHHAD, Iran — Huge crowds lined the streets of the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday for the burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking the end of six days of public mourning ceremonies. Khamenei was laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza, Iran’s holiest Shia Muslim site. The burial came after an exchange of strikes between Iran and the US that threatens to derail a preliminary deal to end the war in which he was killed.
Iranian TV showed thousands of mourners dressed in black walking along a main boulevard in central Mashhad, waving Iranian flags and red banners symbolising vengeance. Some held photos of the late leader and placards calling for the death of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hoda, a 35-year-old housewife, told AFP: “The loss of the leader is heavier than losing our parents. Only the death of Trump and Netanyahu will soothe our pain.”
Khamenei was born in Mashhad and studied at seminaries there before moving to Qom. He was appointed supreme leader in 1989 after the death of founding father Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. During his 37 years in power, he maintained a firm grip on Iran’s politics and armed forces, and took consistently hard-line stances on external matters.
The funeral has been marred by renewed hostilities with the US. Trump warned US attacks could get “much worse” after a second night of strikes on Thursday. The Revolutionary Guards said Iranian forces had attacked US military facilities and infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in response. Three weeks ago, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with two months to reach a final deal. But on Wednesday, Trump said he believed the MoU was now “over.” Khamenei was succeeded as supreme leader by his son Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since being reportedly seriously wounded in the same strike that killed his father.