Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in his hometown of Mashhad early on Friday, ending nearly a week of funerals.Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for nearly 37 years, was killed in a U.S. and Israeli airstrike that marked the beginning of the Middle East conflict on February 28. After days of public mourning, he was buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam.Khamenei is the second Iranian ruler to be buried in Mashhad. The first was Nader Shah, who was assassinated in 1747 after nearly 11 years in power and is buried in the city.The funeral processions began on Saturday, with authorities blocking streets, closing airspace and bringing daily life to a standstill in Tehran and other cities. Large crowds gathered to pay tribute to the leader who ruled Iran with an iron fist for decades while maintaining a confrontational stance toward the West.According to Iran International, Khamenei’s eldest son Mustafa led the funeral prayers. However, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second of the late Supreme Leader’s four sons and successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, was conspicuously absent from the ceremony. The other three sons attended the funeral.Ayatollah Khamenei’s body had to be flown to the shrine due to large crowds between Danesh Crossing and the Imam Reza Shrine. Footage broadcast by state media showed large crowds of mourners lining the funeral route in Mashhad, surrounding a motorcade transporting the former supreme leader’s body as they bid their final farewells.The NBC also showed footage of crowds holding anti-Trump banners during the march.The funeral came amid renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran, following two days of strikes by Washington over attacks on civilian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which it blamed on Tehran. Iran subsequently retaliated, further escalating tensions.In June, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to end last month’s conflict. The agreement, which establishes a 60-day ceasefire and a roadmap for ongoing negotiations, was initially drafted on June 14 and officially came into effect on June 17.(Institutional investment)
