Khamenei's body arrives in Mashhad for burial after week of processions
After a week-long mass funeral, the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where a burial ceremony will take place as the final step.
The plane carrying Khamenei's body, along with those of his four family members killed alongside him, was escorted by Iranian military jets and arrived at Mashhad's Shahid Hasheminejad Airport early on Thursday.
But Iranian media announced that the burial ceremony will now take place at 2pm local time, eight hours later than originally planned.
The delay came just hours after the US and Iran resumed air strikes following a short-term truce.
While US strikes on railway bridges disrupted travel between Tehran and Mashhad, Iranian officials insist the delay is not linked to the attacks. Instead, Iranian state media claims the postponement is due to an overwhelming crowd of mourners.
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Mashhad, the slain leader’s home town, is currently hosting immense crowds from across Iran and Iraq.
The city holds particular religious significance because it is home to the shrine of Imam Reza, a prominent figure for Shia Muslims.
Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the head of the late leader’s office, stated that Khamenei had explicitly requested to be buried in the city.
Khamenei was assassinated on 28 February in a joint US-Israeli military strike.
Among the massive crowd in Mashhad, mourners held placards reading “Kill Trump” and chanted slogans such as “Death to America” and “I swear by the blood of the supreme leader, Trump, we will kill you.”
Before arriving in Mashhad, Khamenei’s body was taken to the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala for funeral processions.
According to the Iraqi paramilitary group Hashd al-Shaabi, more than 2.3 million people attended the procession in Najaf.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also travelled to Iraq to participate in the procession.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei and Iran's newly incumbent supreme leader, has not participated in any of the public processions.
According to a New York Times report, his request to attend his father’s funeral was denied amid fears that he could be assassinated.
He has remained entirely out of public view since taking power just days after his father’s assassination.
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