Iranian sources report that the late Supreme Leader's body was laid to rest inside the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad overnight, concluding a week of funeral ceremonies. The final burial follows earlier temporary interments and processions across Iran and Iraq.
Overnight Thursday, Iran concluded the weeklong funeral process for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with his body finally interred inside the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, according to Iranian sources cited by Abu Ali Express. The burial brings to a close a sequence of events that included temporary interments in Qom, processions in Iraq, and multiple ceremonies across Iran.
The final burial follows a series of developments reported by The Zioneer. On Thursday evening (Jul 9, 21:20 Jerusalem), explosions were reported near the site as top officials—including Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf—attended. At the same time, preparations were underway for burial in the Dar al-Dhikr hall within the shrine complex. Later reports confirmed the body was laid to rest in the Sheikh Reza tomb complex. Earlier, the body had been exhumed from a temporary grave in Qom on Tuesday June 30, as The Zioneer reported, and the funeral moved to Najaf, Iraq, on July 7 before returning to Iran.
As The Zioneer previously reported, the funeral schedule had designated the Imam Reza shrine as the permanent resting place from the outset. The multi-city procession included stops in Tehran, Qom, and Najaf, with the regime denying earlier rumors of a temporary burial in Qom. The burial in Mashhad—Iran's second-largest city and a spiritual center for Shia Islam—marks the end of a week of mourning that began four months after Khamenei's death in the February 2026 strike.
The precise timing of the interment within the shrine's inner sanctum was not immediately detailed. The security situation during the final burial also remains unclear, after earlier reports of explosions near the ceremony.
5 developments
- StrongIranian sources say Khamenei's body exhumed from temporary grave in Qom
- StrongIran denies rumors Khamenei's body was temporarily buried in Qom
- StrongIranian media: Khamenei funeral ceremony to be held in Qom on Tuesday
- DevelopingTelegram post publishes exact location of Khamenei's grave, addresses IAF pilots
Source and signal
- Internal intake