Iran's Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei Laid To Rest 131 Days After US-Israeli Strikes Killed Him

Iran on Friday laid to rest its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 131 days after he was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike that marked the start of the war in West Asia.

Khamenei was buried in the early hours of Friday, July 10, at the Imam Reza Shrine in his hometown of Mashhad. His official X account announced the “sacred body” of the late leader was laid to rest at the Dar al-Zikr section of the shrine.

“The sacred body of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, was laid to rest in the early hours of Friday, 10 July 2026 (19 Tir 1405 in the Iranian calendar), at the Dar al-Zikr section of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (peace be upon him),” the post read.

پیکر مطهر رهبر شهید انقلاب

اسلامی حضرت آیت‌الله العظمی سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای قدس‌الله‌نفسه‌الزکیه بامداد جمعه ۱۹ تیرماه ۱۴۰۵ در دارالذکر حرم نورانی حضرت ثامن‌الحجج امام رضا علیه‌السلام به خاک سپرده شد. pic.twitter.com/MvyTFkkr3n

— KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی (@Khamenei_fa) July 9, 2026

Funeral Held In Khamenei’s Hometown

Large crowds gathered in Mashhad as Khamenei’s coffin was taken to the shrine, which is considered one of the holiest sites for Shia Muslims in Iran. Mourners were seen beating their chests and grieving as they waited for the burial ceremony.

Khamenei was killed alongside close family members in an Israeli strike on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran. His death ended more than three decades of leadership after he was appointed Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989, a decade after the Islamic Revolution.

During his time as supreme leader, Khamenei built strong influence over Iran’s political, economic and military institutions.

Senior Iranian officials attended the burial ceremony, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Khamenei’s eldest son Mostafa Khamenei.

Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was not seen at the ceremony. He has not appeared in public since the strike that killed his father and marked the start of the war. Although written statements attributed to him have been released, no images, videos, or voice recordings of him have been made public.