The coffin of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei arrived on Thursday in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad ahead of his burial, Iranian media reported.
ISNA published a video showing Iranian army fighter jets escorting the plane carrying Khamenei’s body and those of his family members shortly before it landed at Shahid Hasheminejad Airport in Mashhad.
Iran prepares to hold burial ceremonies for Khamenei in his birth city, following earlier funeral processions attended by mourners in Tehran, Qom and Iraqi cities.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, triggering weeks of war and escalating tensions across the region.
Funeral ceremonies began on July 4, with foreign leaders and official delegations from across the region and beyond paying tribute to the late Iranian supreme leader.
According to the official schedule, public farewell ceremonies were followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on Monday.
On July 8, ceremonies were held in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala, where the body was received by religious and political figures before being taken to major Shia shrines.
The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, one of Iran’s major Shia holy sites.
