Ex-Iranian leader Ali Khamenei buried amid U.S.-Iran conflict

Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was laid to rest Friday in Mashhad, his hometown, at the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest site in Shia Islam. His burial concluded several days of large-scale funeral processions, which were overshadowed by a sharp increase in tensions and the resumption of open conflict between the United States and Iran.

State television IRIB broadcast images of the coffin being transported under heavy security, including fighter jet escorts. The burial reportedly took place without his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, present. Khamenei died at 86 after nearly 37 years leading the Islamic Republic, reportedly from a U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28 that triggered the current Middle East war.

The final stage of the funerals coincided with the collapse of a ceasefire agreement signed on June 17. U.S. President Donald Trump declared the truce "over" this week, criticizing Tehran's leadership and even altering his own security protocols. Trump opted not to use the new Air Force One for his return from a NATO summit due to security concerns, amid Israeli intelligence warnings to Washington about alleged Iranian assassination plots against the president.

In military actions, U.S. forces conducted an offensive targeting approximately 90 military sites in Iran. Tehran accused Washington of striking civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and railways, to "eclipse" the state funeral. Tensions heightened Thursday night with a projectile impact near a military base close to Bushehr, Iran's sole operational nuclear power plant. Local authorities attributed this attack to the "American-Zionist enemy," although the U.S. Department of Defense denied any recent operations.

The conflict reignited Tuesday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where Washington accused Iran of attacking three commercial vessels. Maritime traffic in this vital corridor for global hydrocarbon trade has significantly slowed after Iran signaled its intention to charge tolls for passing ships, a move unprecedented before the hostilities began in February. In retaliation for the U.S. bombings, Iran launched targeted attacks toward its Gulf neighbors, with impacts reported in Kuwait (at least one injured), Bahrain, and Qatar. Jordan also intercepted missiles in its airspace for the first time since mid-June.