Iran will bury its slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the holy city of Mashhad, according to a report by Fars News Agency on Tuesday.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, was killed at the age of 86 during a wave of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Saturday, marking a historic turning point in the country’s political and religious leadership. He was originally from Mashhad Iran’s second-largest city where his father is buried at the Imam Reza Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam.
Before the burial, Iranian authorities plan to hold a “large farewell ceremony” in Tehran, according to a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, posted on its Telegram channel. Officials did not announce a date for the burial.
Interim Leadership and Succession Process
Following Khamenei’s death, power was transferred to a three-member interim leadership council pending the selection of a new supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts. The interim council comprises the Iranian president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council, which oversees legislation and vets electoral candidates.
Fars News Agency, citing an official familiar with the process, reported that the Assembly of Experts’ final meeting could be delayed until after Khamenei’s burial due to security concerns.
Security Concerns and Strikes on Key Institutions
Iranian media reported that the building housing the 88-member Assembly of Experts in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, was struck on Tuesday during U.S.-Israeli attacks. Its main headquarters in Tehran had reportedly been hit a day earlier.
The developments underscore the scale of disruption following Khamenei’s death, as Iran navigates a sensitive leadership transition amid ongoing military tensions and heightened security risks.
