Iran sets July 4 funeral for late Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran announced funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei more than 100 days after he was killed in Israeli and US strikes, with processions set to begin in Tehran on July 4 and end with his burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad on July 9, state media reported Saturday. The ceremonies for Khamenei and members of his family will be held in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad from July 4 to July 9, according to a statement by the office that publishes his works. Khamenei’s death in February marked the end of more than three decades at the helm of the Islamic Republic. Khamenei, 86, was killed in a joint US-Israeli air strike on his compound in February.
Khamenei led Iran from 1989, following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had spearheaded the Islamic revolution a decade earlier. While Khomeini was the ideological force behind the revolution that ended the rule of the Pahlavi monarchy, Khamenei shaped the military and paramilitary apparatus. His successor, son Mojtaba Khamenei, has remained out of public view since the US-Israel war began.