Iran Buries Khamenei Amid Rising Tensions with US
Iran held the burial of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, following his assassination in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. The event saw millions of mourners in Tehran, reflecting significant public grief and political implications amid escalating tensions with the U.S. and Israel. The procession highlighted divisions within Iran and calls for change, marking a pivotal moment in the country's political landscape.
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Live: Iran buries Khamenei after new fighting with US erupts
Iran on Friday laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei over four months after his killing in an airstrike, as two days of US and Iranian attacks raised fears of a return to all-out war. Khamenei's flag-covered coffin was carried aloft into the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mashhad in eastern Iran as a sea of people waited outside and listened to prayers, with no sign of a public appearance by his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Tehran teemed with Khamenei mourners, but divisions – and demands for change – remain
Many of the millions who turned out for funeral wanted to show their opposition the killing of their leader, regardless of their broader views of the regime As the multipurpose, multinational funeral of Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei moved to the Jamkaran mosque in the holy city of Qom, and then to Najaf in Iraq, Iran’s leadership was weighing the mandate it had been given by the millions who have taken to the streets of Tehran over the past three days. Some hailed the moment as a referendum from the streets showing support for the clerical establishment, and called for the strategy of confrontation with the west to be intensified. Others said it was more about a wider national pride that was conditional on demands for change and an end to the war being met. Continue reading...

