Iran Announces July 4 Start for Khamenei Funeral, July 9 Burial in Mashhad

Iranian state media announced on June 13 that funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will begin July 4 in Tehran. The schedule runs three days in the capital, followed by a July 7 service in Qom and burial July 9 at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. Ceremonies for Khamenei’s daughter and son-in-law, also killed in the February 28 strike, will be held the same day.

The announcement came as discussions continue on a memorandum to end the war that began with that strike. The text under discussion addresses only the cessation of hostilities; nuclear issues are not included. Reuters reported that Iranian officials described the funeral timeline as fixed regardless of the status of the memorandum.

The original Supreme Leader assumed office in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. During his tenure he expanded the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and increased the influence of the Shiite clerical establishment.

No signing date for the memorandum has been announced by either Washington or Tehran. The vessels’ operators in the Strait of Hormuz disruptions have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government in the source material.