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[POLITICS] · Iran, Iraq · 100 sources

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Iran holds massive multi‑city funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Iran’s 86‑year‑old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli airstrike on 28 February 2026, marking the opening of a brief but intense war with the two powers. Six months later, a six‑day state funeral began in early July. Millions gathered in Tehran’s Azadi Street, chanting “Death to the United States” and “Death to Israel,” while water cannons kept the crowd cool in 36 °C heat. The body was taken to Qom’s Jamkaran mosque, then to holy cities in Iraq – Najaf and Karbala – before its final burial in Mashhad on 9 July. High‑ranking Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, attended, but the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent, fueling public speculation about his condition and the regime’s stability. The ceremonies were framed by the government as a demonstration of national unity and resistance, reinforcing the Islamic Republic’s continuity amid ongoing hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz and wider regional tensions.

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