Iran’s Khamenei killed in US-Israeli strikes, funeral set for July 4th
Iran has scheduled the state funeral for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to begin July 4, coinciding with America's Independence Day, more than three months after his death in airstrikes.
According to New York Post, the ayatollah was killed on February 28 when American and Israeli forces struck his Tehran compound with airstrikes that ignited the current Iran conflict. Iranian authorities have delayed funeral arrangements for over three months following his death due to concerns about additional attacks.
Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for 36 years until his death at age 86, will finally receive official burial rites now that a peace agreement is anticipated to be finalized within the coming day, as New York Post reports.
Iranian state media has outlined a multi-day commemoration schedule beginning with three days of ceremonies in Tehran starting July 4. The proceedings will take place at the prayer hall dedicated to Imam Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder, before a funeral procession departs on July 6.
On July 7, additional funeral rites will be conducted in the holy city of Qom, located south of the capital. The final burial is scheduled for July 9 in Mashhad, the northeastern holy city where Khamenei was born. His remains will be interred at the shrine of Imam Reza, a sacred site for Shiite Muslims.
The same ceremonies will include funerals for Khamenei’s daughter and son-in-law, both of whom perished in the February 28 strike.
The Islamic Republic’s lengthy postponement of funeral proceedings violates traditional Islamic burial practices, which call for interment within 24 hours of death. Analysts believe the regime avoided holding the ceremonies due to multiple security and political concerns, including fear of further airstrikes, potential nationalist counter-demonstrations similar to earlier nationwide uprisings, and the need to address the conspicuous absence of his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
The younger Khamenei reportedly suffered severe disfigurement in the strikes that killed his father and has not appeared publicly since assuming his appointment. Whether he will attend the upcoming funeral ceremonies remains uncertain.
Tehran initially announced plans for a three-day state funeral beginning March 4, but those arrangements were abandoned after Israel and the United States launched extensive bombing campaigns across the country.
With information from New York Post
