Ali Khamenei's Body to Be Buried in the Holy City of Mashhad, with a Major Ceremony Planned

Funeral arrangements for Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, are set to proceed with burial in Mashhad after his death in a joint United States and Israel attack on Tehran. Khamenei will be buried in Mashhad, the holy city where his father lies at the Imam Reza Shrine. Mashhad is Iran’s second-largest city and is known as the ‘Holy City’ because it hosts the Imam Reza Shrine, a major Shiite site. Before the burial, a ‘great farewell ceremony’ will be held in Tehran, the Revolutionary Guards said on their Telegram account. The Iranian government has not yet decided the date for the funeral. Khamenei died in a joint US-Israel attack on Saturday (28/2) Iran time. After his death, power was entrusted to a three-member caretaker council until the Assembly of Experts elects his replacement. The council includes the president, the head of the judiciary, and a legal expert from the Guardian Council, the body that oversees legislation and screens candidates for elections. Fars, citing a official familiar with the process, reported that ‘for security reasons’ the final meeting of the assembly could be postponed until after Khamenei’s funeral. Iranian media say the headquarters building housing the 88-member body is in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, and was struck on Tuesday (3/3) by the US-Israel attack. Its main headquarters in Tehran was also struck a day earlier.