Tens of thousands attend Khamenei's funeral in Mashhad, Iran

Tens of thousands of people gathered around the Imam Reza shrine complex in the city of Mashhad, Iran, ahead of the funeral procession for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, even as the United States launched renewed airstrikes on Thursday. On the night into the early hours of Wednesday, the US military carried out a series of major strikes against Iran, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported. Iranian forces subsequently reported launching retaliatory strikes against American military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, whilst Iranian authorities accused Washington of violating a memorandum of understanding on the cessation of hostilities. Khamenei’s body was originally scheduled to arrive from Najaf, Iraq, at 06:00 local time, but the funeral procession was postponed until 14:00 local time due to the delayed arrival of the remains. Despite this, the crowds continued to throng the area around the Imam Reza shrine, chanting religious slogans whilst waving Iranian flags and holding photographs of Khamenei. “I came to Mashhad because I felt I had to be here at this historic moment. Whatever the situation, I could not miss the opportunity to pay tribute to a leader who dedicated his life to the homeland, protecting and advancing it,” one participant told RIA Novosti. The massive crowds caused the roads leading to the shrine complex to be packed with mourners. Security forces and medical teams were deployed to secure the procession, with residents lining both sides of the streets to witness the cortege. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that more than 4,700 foreign visitors from 27 countries had arrived in Mashhad to attend the funeral procession. Khamenei died in a US and Israeli attack on Tehran on 28 February. Following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was elected as the new supreme leader of Iran. Since his appointment, he has not appeared in public but has issued several statements to the Iranian people published by official Iranian media.