Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Be Buried Thursday at Mashhad Shrine

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, according to state media and international reporting. The burial concludes a week of funeral processions and mourning events across multiple cities, including Tehran.

France 24 reported that the ceremonies drew to a close with the interment at Iran's holiest shrine. Reuters described the events as a culmination of mass funeral observances. The New York Times covered the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader.

State media reported that participants included government officials and members of the public. Supporters described Khamenei as a defender of clerical rule. A senior aide to Iran's reformist president said last month that the country is severely polarized between hard-core supporters of the Islamic Republic and those who want its downfall.

The aide added that a large part of society exists between those two poles.

Khamenei took power in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. ABC News reported that Iran grapples with Khamenei's legacy as he is laid to rest. The New York Times article on the funeral did not detail specific policy outcomes or security incidents.