Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei to be buried in Mashhad amid security concerns

Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will be laid to rest in the holy city of Mashhad, his birthplace, the Fars news agency reported Tuesday.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, was killed at the age of 86 during a series of US-Israeli attacks on Saturday. His father is also buried in Mashhad at the Imam Reza shrine, highlighting the city’s significance to the late leader and the nation.

Before the burial, the Revolutionary Guards announced a “large farewell ceremony” in Tehran via their Telegram account, though no specific burial date has been released.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran’s leadership has temporarily shifted to a three-member interim council, comprising the President of Iran, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council, which oversees legislation and vetting of electoral candidates.

Fars reported that, for security reasons, the Assembly of Experts’ final meeting to elect Khamenei’s successor may be postponed until after the burial. Iranian media also confirmed that US-Israeli strikes hit the assembly’s 88-member headquarters in Qom on Tuesday, following attacks on their main building in Tehran the previous day.