The death of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei stunned Iranians, many of whom had never known anything but his authoritarian leadership.
Now, more than three months after he was killed at the start of the US-Israeli war, the date of his burial has been announced.
The funeral will begin in the country’s capital of Tehran on July 4, with the burial set to take place on July 9 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iranian state media reported Saturday.
The burial ceremony will comprise of a two-day farewell to the slain former leader in Tehran and a funeral procession through the capital. A second funeral procession will be conducted in the holy city of Qom the following day.
A final commemorative procession will be held in Mashhad on July 9 before Khamenei’s remains are buried in the holy city’s sacred shrine.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was Iran’s hardline supreme leader who ruled the country for almost four decades before he was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the conflict on February 28. His death sparked celebration among Iranians who opposed his rule and despair from pro-regime loyalists.
Khamenei was succeeded by his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a little over a week later by the 88-member Assembly of Experts. The elevation of Mojtaba was considered an act of defiance by the Islamic Republic, after US President Donald Trump deemed him an “unacceptable” choice during deliberations.
Since his appointment, Mojtaba has issued various purported messages to the people of Iran, but has yet to be seen in public.
