Ayatollah Khamenei laid to rest in Mashhad, Mojtaba absent from funeral

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest on Thursday (July 9) at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace and the holy city of Iraq, concluding a week of state mourning marked by funeral ceremonies in Iran and Iraq.

His son and successor, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was absent throughout the public ceremonies, including the burial, amid heightened security measures.

Iranian state media has not disclosed his whereabouts, while local reports suggest security concerns have kept the 56-year-old leader out of the public eye since the conflict that erupted in February.

According to Reuters, Ayatollah Khamenei's coffin was taken to the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before being returned to Mashhad, where thousands of mourners gathered for the final funeral procession.

Ayatollah Khamenei led Iran for nearly 37 years, shaping the country's political, military and foreign policy. His death comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, with Iran continuing to navigate security challenges and strained relations with the United States and Israel.

The state funeral was widely seen as both a national mourning event and a display of institutional continuity as Iran enters a new chapter under its new leadership.