Ali Khamenei buried in Mashhad; son Mojtaba becomes Iran's supreme leader
Former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was interred on 9 July 2026 in the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, the holiest Shiite site in Iran, after a week of nationwide mourning that drew millions of mourners in Iran and Iraq. The burial concluded a series of funeral processions that moved his body from Tehran to Qom, Najaf and Karbala before reaching his hometown.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, was appointed the new supreme leader in March but has not appeared publicly since the February strike that killed his father. In his first written statement released during the funeral, he pledged, “revenge is the will of our nation and will be carried out,” referring to the United‑States and Israel. The United‑States president Donald Trump responded on social media, warning that “1,000 missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The funeral took place amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the United States, with both sides accusing each other of violating a provisional cease‑fire and threatening further escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.