Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israel-US joint strike will be buried in the city of Mashhad, the Fars news agency said on Tuesday. Iran announced a 40-day mourning period over the loss. Iran’s second-largest city and a popular pilgrimage site, Mashhad is home to nearly 3.5 to 5.4 million people.
The second of eight children in a religious family, Ali Khamenei’s father was a mid-ranking cleric from the Shia branch of Islam, the dominant sect in Iran.
Why was Mashhad chosen for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s burial?
The longest-serving head of state in the Middle East, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for more than three decades. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be laid to rest in the city in which he was born. This is the same city where his father was buried at the Imam Reza shrine.
The capital of Razavi Khorasan province, Mashhad holds strategic and religious importance as it is a key place of worship for Shiites. Located in the north-east of the country, it is believed that the eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida, was buried here. Imam Reza shrine is an important pilgrimage site which draws nearly 30 million visitors each year.
Mashhad served as the capital of Afsharid Iran during the Afsharid dynasty. Given its religious, spiritual and geographical importance and history with Khamenei family it is justified why Mashhad was chosen for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s burial.
A “large farewell ceremony” will take place in Tehran before the burial, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on their Telegram account. As per media reports, it is likely that the funeral might be held on Friday.
Who will be next Supreme Leader of Iran?
Iran’s Assembly of Experts decided that second son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, will take charge as the country’s new supreme leader, according to Iran International. As per the report, the decision was allegedly taken under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mojtaba, who has never held public office and is not a high-ranking cleric, is nevertheless believed to exercise considerable influence behind the scenes. He served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran–Iraq War and is known for his close links to the IRGC.
One of Khamenei’s family’s surviving members, Mojtaba, lost several members of his family in the US-Israel strikes, including his father, mother, sister, sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
Following Ali Khamenei’s killing, an interim leadership council was running the country, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday. It consists of the Iranian President, Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei and a Guardian Council member, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
