Iran Buries Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran buried its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 9 at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, concluding a six-day state funeral that drew millions of mourners. The ceremonies began with his flag-draped coffin being laid in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla mosque, where dignitaries from over 100 countries paid their respects. Massive crowds thronged the streets throughout the week-long processions, chanting slogans such as 'Death to America' and 'Revenge, revenge.'

According to Al Jazeera, funeral processions moved through Qom and into Iraq for ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala before returning to Mashhad. Khamenei's coffin was displayed alongside family members killed in the Israeli airstrike, including his son-in-law, eldest daughter, 14-month-old granddaughter, and the wife of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries walked up to Khamenei's casket as military bands played or mourners sang prayers. Iranian officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, IRGC head Ahmad Vahidi, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and Revolutionary Guard commander Hassan Hassanzadeh paid their respects.

Iran reappointed Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i as chief justice for another five-year term during the funeral ceremonies. The announcement came via a text message attributed to Iran's new head of state, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Mohseni-Eje'i was among the leading officials attending Khamenei's funeral procession.

In his confirmation message, Mojtaba Khamenei asked Mohseni-Eje'i to remain committed to fighting corruption and embark on unspecified measures for a 'judicial transformation.' He also instructed him to pursue crimes by 'arrogant powers' and 'global aggressors.' Mohseni-Eje'i told state TV that he is committed to achieving the success envisioned by leaders of the Islamic Republic, speaking about calls for revenge for Khamenei's assassination.

According to The Guardian, calls for killing Donald Trump were made beside Khamenei's coffin. Poet Mohammad Rasouli said at a poetry recitation: 'I swear by your blood; Trump's murder is our responsibility.' The funeral prayers created a political spectacle melding grief with calls for revenge.

According to Reuters, the burial in Mashhad followed a week of mass processions and rallies that coincided with renewed conflict between Iran and the United States. Crowds marched through Mashhad, waving Iranian flags and revolutionary slogans as Khamenei's body was transported around Iran and Iraq. The whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei has remained a mystery to Iranians since he has not appeared in public due to injuries sustained in the strike that killed his father.

Iranian authorities expect millions of people to have flooded the streets during the ceremonies, with turnout potentially surpassing the 1989 funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The event served as both a farewell to Khamenei and an assertion of strength under his successor's leadership amid ongoing political tensions.

According to Reuters, two tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, with Iran stating there would be no more peace talks unless Donald Trump stopped his threats. The Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat reported being hit by a drone, causing an engine room fire and disabling the ship. A Saudi crude oil tanker was also damaged in the incident.

According to NPR, a tanker caught fire early Tuesday morning after being struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television reported that the LNG tanker was attacked after ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim responsibility. The U.S. aims to negotiate with Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war launched on February 28.

According to Al Jazeera, more than 2.3 million people took part in Khamenei’s funeral procession in Najaf alone, as reported by Iraq's paramilitary group Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), or Hashd al-Shaabi. The Tasnim news agency and the broadcaster Press TV reported that millions of mourners attended the funeral procession in Tehran, with Iranian officials describing the event as the 'largest public gathering in the country’s modern history.'

The incumbent supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been notably absent from the processions. He has not yet appeared in public since taking over days after his father’s assassination. Officials have said he was wounded in the air strikes that killed his father, but the severity of his injuries remains unclear.