Iran Buries Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Amid Rising US-Iran Tensions

The funeral procession for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reaches its climax on Thursday afternoon with his burial in his hometown of Mashhad, located in northeastern Iran near the Turkmenistan border. Khamenei was assassinated by Israel over four months ago in the opening strike of Operation "Roaring Tiger." This marks the sixth day of the funeral procession, which has traveled across Iran and parts of Iraq, becoming the largest event in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Earlier Thursday, Khamenei's coffin was flown from Najaf, Iraq, after passing through Karbala, where thousands of supporters gathered. The funeral coincides with escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, following the largest wave of US military strikes in Iran since the ceasefire. According to a CENTCOM statement, around 90 targets were hit, including air defense units, missile and drone storage sites, naval assets, and military infrastructure along Iran's coastline. Reports indicate that two bridges were targeted for the first time since the war's end. Iran retaliated by firing on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Throughout the funeral procession, large banners appeared in several locations calling for the assassination of US President Donald Trump, including one offering a $100 million reward. Hezbollah supporters were seen waving the group's flag, while regime loyalists burned Israeli, American, and British flags. Iranian state television released footage for the first time showing the destruction at the site of the attack that killed Khamenei, alongside IRGC Commander Abd al-Rahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on February 28.

Born in Mashhad in 1939 to a modest religious family, Khamenei rose politically as a protégé of Ruhollah Khomeini and became a leading voice against the Shah's regime. After the 1979 revolution, he held key positions including deputy defense minister and IRGC commander. Following Khomeini's death in 1989, Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader despite lacking the highest religious rank. He consolidated power by transforming the IRGC into a political and economic empire loyal to him. Under his leadership, Iran pursued a strategy of exporting its revolution by supporting pro-Iranian militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

In the past decade, Khamenei faced increasing domestic unrest, brutally suppressing the 2009 Green Movement and the 2022 hijab protests, ordering security forces to shoot demonstrators. US President Donald Trump called him "one of the most evil people in history" following his assassination.