Iran on Friday (July 10, 2026) laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei over four months after his killing in an airstrike, as two days of U.S. and Iranian attacks raised fears of a return to all-out war.

Khamenei’s flag-covered coffin was carried aloft into the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mashhad in eastern Iran as a sea of people waited outside and listened to prayers, with no sign of a public appearance by his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei.

The “body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution was buried in the memorial hall of the shrine of Imam Reza,” state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The burial came after a second day of tit-for-tat attacks by Washington and Tehran’s forces, with Iranian officials reporting that U.S. strikes killed 17 people and state media saying one targeted a railway line between Tehran and Mashhad.

The Islamic republic said it had resumed attacks targeting U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, while sirens blared in Jordan – another American ally – where the military said it had intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran.

Khamenei was killed alongside close family members on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.

The last of a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies, Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad was closely watched for signs of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since being appointed.

Parliament speaker and chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, powerful chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Khamenei’s eldest son Mostafa Khamenei were all present at the shrine, with some senior figures weeping over Khamenei’s coffin, state TV images showed.

But as on other days of the funeral process, there was no sign of Mojtaba Khamenei, who since being named has only communicated through written statements and is said to have been wounded in the February 28 strikes.

Khamenei is only the second ruler of the nation to be buried in the city of Mashhad. In 1747, Nader Shah was buried in the city after he was assassinated following nearly 11 years in power.

(With inputs from AFP, AP)

Iran began a dayslong funeral on Saturday (July 4, 2026) for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after an airstrike killed him at the start of the war. He was 86.

West Asia war LIVE updates on July 4, 2026

Authorities unveiled the casket containing Khamenei’s body in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran’s capital. Mourners wept at the sight, with some chanting: “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!” Some carried banners and flags, while billboards across the city bore Khamenei’s image. Crowds of men rhythmically beat their chests in mourning, a common practice at Shiite funerals.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” said a weeping Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who attended the funeral alongside her mother. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”

Coffins sat on display at Grand Mosalla

An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. That site was destroyed in the Israeli airstrike that killed Khamenei and some of his family at the start of the Iran war on February 28. The caskets of his dead family members sat beneath his, which had his black turban atop it, identifying him as a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad.

Iran’s government expects to see millions flood the streets of the capital in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Organisers sprayed water on the crowds and offered cold drinks to help those with the summertime heat.

In pictures | Iran pays last respects to slain leader Ali Khamenei

“We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion,” said Ali Kazemi, who came from the northwestern city of Tabriz, some 530 km away from Tehran.

A large turnout could provide a boost for Iran’s government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war, and as concern still lingers that Israel could attack yet again.

Funeral starts as U.S. marks its 250th anniversary

Iran chose July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S., to begin the funeral. While authorities did not acknowledge the timing, crowds at the ceremony in Tehran chanted: “Death to America!” — reprising a cry that’s been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy takeover and hostage crisis.

“We knocked the hell out of Iran,” U.S. President Donald Trump said in a speech at the same time in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”

The American President was not forgotten in Tehran. In the crowd in Grand Mosalla, several mourners held a large flag that read: “#KillTrump.” Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran for the mourning.

It remains unclear whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will appear at his father’s funeral. The late supreme leader appeared in 1989 at Khomeini’s funeral, weeping visibly, as he began his journey to lead Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West. Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei’s late wife was one of the dead on display at the Grand Mosalla.

Israel’s repeated threats to kill Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei drew a warning from Iran’s joint military command on Thursday (July 2, 2026), which told Israel and the U.S. “to avoid any miscalculation” over the coming days.

Iran is holding a massive funeral ceremony for the country’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The world is closely watching the multi-day funeral of the former leader amid a fragile pause in hostilities between Iran, Israel and the United States, with wider implications for West Asia.

The Hindu’s live coverage of Ali Khamenei’s funeral

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026, in joint precision strikes by the U.S. and Israel. The airstrikes killed also killed several other members of his family. 

The state burial of the Iranian leader was delayed due to the active war situation and security risks and is being held almost four months after Iran formally acknowledged the Iranian Supreme Leader’s death on March 1. 

Who is attending Ali Khamenei’s funeral?

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people pouring in from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The official number has not been released, and the Iranian authorities have been highly selective about disclosing the information about the attendees.

Here’s a list of leaders who have been confirmed to be attending the event: 

India 

Governor of Bihar Syed Ata Hasnain

Deputy Foreign Minister Pabitra Margherita

Former Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid 

Member of Parliament, Pawan Khera 

President of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti 

President of Jammu and Kashmir Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safavi

Tajikistan

President Emomali Rahmon

Russia

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former President, Dmitry Medvedev

China

Deputy leader of China’s top legislative body, He Wei.

Pakistan

Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif

Mojtaba Khamenei’s presence unconfirmed

It remains unknown if Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.

There has been widespread speculation over his whereabouts and health in the months following the killing of his father.

Ali Khamenei funeral schedule.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the farewell ceremony for Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei is scheduled for Saturday (July 4, 2026) and Sunday (July 5, 2026) at the Imam Khomeini Musalla in Tehran. The bodies of ​his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, as well as the widow of the new leader, his son Mojtaba, who were all killed in the same strike, will be carried alongside.

The funeral procession will take place in the capital on Monday (July 6, 2026).

A procession will follow in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) and a final procession will be held in the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday (July 9, 2026). He will be buried in Mashhad near the tomb of the Imam Reza, a figure of great devotion in Iran.

(With inputs from agencies) **The timings mentioned are in Iran Standard Time.**

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the funeral of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei this week, the South Asian nation’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday (July 2, 2026).

“The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, will go to Iran and Turkey from July 3-5. He will go to Iran first for [the] supreme leader’s funeral,” Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters.

Pakistan has been mediating between the United States and Iran to end the regional war which began in February with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed the 86-year-old Iranian supreme leader in Tehran.

Mr. Andrabi reiterated earlier statements from Pakistan and fellow mediator Qatar that U.S.-Iranian indirect talks in Doha this week had made progress and another meeting could take place after Khamenei’s funeral.

The public funeral will begin on Saturday (July 4, 2026), with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings.

Pakistan shares deep historic ties with Iran. The two share a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border and cultural links, with Sunni-majority Pakistan home to the world’s second-largest Shia population after Iran.

Mr. Sharif’s trip to Turkey would involve meetings with Turkish leadership and businesspeople, Mr. Andrabi said.