Saudi King, Crown Prince offer condolences on Ayatollah Khamenei's passing

Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have extended their condolences to Iran's president following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Saudi message was delivered by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji at a state funeral ceremony in Tehran.

The funeral procession for Khamenei, who was 86, is expected to draw millions of mourners to the capital, a scale comparable to the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The ceremony is taking place at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where Khamenei's flag-draped coffin lies alongside those of other family members reportedly killed in the same incident.

Khamenei's death is reported to have occurred on February 28, 2026, from a targeted airstrike on his official residence. This event followed more than five weeks of intense conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States, involving Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah. A ceasefire between U.S. and Iranian representatives was reportedly agreed upon in early April 2026.

The funeral events are scheduled to span three days in Tehran before Khamenei's body is taken to the pilgrimage city of Qom and then to Iraq. He is slated to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad next Thursday.

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The condolences message was delivered to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji, who attended the ceremony on Saturday morning.