Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Laid To Rest Months After Being Killed In Iran War

Huge crowds lined the streets of the holy city of Mashhad for the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza, Iran's holiest Shia Muslim site, marking the end of six days of public mourning ceremonies across five cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq.

The burial, reported by state news agency IRNA, came after an exchange of strikes between Iran and the US that threatened to derail a preliminary deal to end the war in which Khamenei was killed.

Mourning ceremonies across Iran and Iraq

Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guards accused the US of bombing two bridges on the railway line from the capital Tehran to Mashhad overnight "in an effort to overshadow" the funeral.

Khamenei and several members of his family were killed in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran on Feb 28, the first day of Iran's war with the US and Israel.

He was succeeded as Supreme Leader by his son Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since he was reportedly seriously wounded in the same attack.

The 56-year-old did not participate in the funeral ceremonies in Tehran and Qom, and there was no indication that he attended the burial.

On Thursday morning, a plane carrying the coffins of Ali Khamenei, his granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba's wife landed in Mashhad after flying from Iraq, where huge crowds took part in processions to two Shia shrines in the cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Thousands gather in Mashhad for final farewell

In the afternoon, Iranian TV footage showed thousands of mourners dressed in black walking along a main boulevard in central Mashhad. Many were waving Iranian flags and red banners symbolising vengeance.

Some people were also holding photos of the late Supreme Leader and placards calling for the death of US President Donald Trump, who, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the joint attack on Iran four months ago that triggered the war.

Hanging above the boulevard were banners with official slogans including "We must rise".

"The loss of the leader is heavier than losing our parents," Hoda, a 35-year-old housewife, told AFP news agency. "Only the death of Trump and Netanyahu will soothe our pain."

Later, a lorry transported Khamenei's coffin slowly through the crowds towards the Imam Reza shrine, eventually reaching the complex as night fell.

Mashhad burial marks end of mourning period

Imam Reza was the eighth Shia imam and the only one of the 12 believed to have been buried in Iran. His mausoleum, which dates to the ninth century and has a towering golden dome and minarets, is visited by millions of pilgrims each year.

Also Watch:

Khamenei ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before he was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes that started the war on Feb 28. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad early Friday after days of public mourning.

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

The funeral processions began on Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran, Iran's capital, and other cities as throngs commemorated the man who led Iran for decades while confronting the West.