Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei for burial July 9

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, who led the country for nearly 37 years, will be laid to rest on July 9. Khamenei died on February 28, reportedly from Israeli and US airstrikes, according to state television reports on Saturday.

The burial is planned for his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad. This event was initially scheduled for March but was postponed due to the ongoing war. The burial will follow an extensive period of national mourning, with three days of funeral ceremonies commencing in the capital, Tehran, on July 4. An additional service will be held in the holy city of Qom on July 7.

Notably, July 4 marks the start date of the national funeral ceremonies and coincides with the United States' Independence Day, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. The timing may carry symbolic weight given the circumstances of Khamenei's death and the protracted conflict between Iran and the US.

Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, assumed the role of supreme leader in early March, becoming the third individual to hold the position since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly wounded in the same strikes that killed his father and numerous other officials. However, he has not been seen in public since his appointment and reportedly communicates solely through attributed statements.