Overview
- The body of Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in an attack, was buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad after six days of ceremonies held in Tehran, Qom, Najaf and Karbala.
- Officials and state media described massive turnouts and Mashhad’s governor claimed 15 million attendees, a figure that journalists say cannot be independently verified and is likely inflated for political effect.
- Mojtaba Khamenei has been named Supreme Leader but has not appeared publicly since the February 28 attack and multiple international intelligence sources reported he was seriously injured in the same strike.
- State footage showing a masked figure near the coffin and AI‑generated videos circulating online prompted widespread social‑media speculation about Mojtaba’s presence while officials offered no clear visual confirmation.
- The funerals mixed religious ritual and political mobilization, with crowds chanting calls for revenge and hardliners using the events to shore up legitimacy, a dynamic that leaves Iran’s succession and internal stability uncertain.