Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, according to reports by the semi-official Fars news agency on Tuesday.
Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was killed at the age of 86 during a wave of coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend, Iranian authorities have confirmed.
His death marks the end of an era in Iranian politics, where he stood as the country’s highest religious and political authority since 1989.
Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, holds deep personal and spiritual significance for the late leader.
It is his birthplace and home to the revered Imam Reza shrine, where his father is buried.
Iranian media reports indicated that Khamenei would be laid to rest in the city, though officials have yet to announce the exact date of the burial.
Prior to interment, authorities plan to hold a large public farewell ceremony in Tehran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps disclosed that commemorative events would allow citizens and officials to pay their last respects in the capital before the body is transferred to Mashhad.
Following Khamenei’s death, power has temporarily shifted to a three-member interim council tasked with overseeing state affairs until a successor is formally chosen.
Under Iran’s constitutional framework, the responsibility for selecting the next Supreme Leader lies with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body.
The interim leadership structure comprised the sitting president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist drawn from the Guardian Council, which supervises legislation and electoral vetting.
However, Fars reported that the Assembly of Experts’ final meeting to determine Khamenei’s successor could be delayed for security reasons.
Iranian outlets also indicated that buildings associated with the body in the holy city of Qom were struck during the latest round of hostilities.
Its main headquarters in Tehran was reportedly hit a day earlier.
Khamenei’s death comes amid heightened regional tensions following reciprocal strikes between Iran, the United States, and Israel.
The developments have intensified uncertainty within and beyond Iran’s borders, with global leaders closely watching the transition process in Tehran.
As preparations for the funeral proceed, attention is turning toward the Assembly of Experts and the complex political process that would shape Iran’s leadership in the post-Khamenei era, a transition likely to carry significant implications for the Middle East and international diplomacy.
