Iran Holds Funeral for Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei After Delays

Iran conducted the burial of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, more than four months after his death. The flag-covered coffin arrived at the shrine following processions that included stops in Najaf and Karbala.

The burial occurred during a period of renewed U.S.-Iran exchanges. U.S. forces struck railway bridges in northeast Iran, disrupting train services between Tehran and Mashhad. Iranian state media reported new American attacks alongside Iranian strikes on U.S. allies. The procession in Mashhad was delayed about eight hours due to crowds gathered in the Iraqi cities.

No public appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei was observed at the funeral. Officials have not announced a date for naming a permanent successor.

The vessels' operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government. Iran's foreign ministry has not commented on the reported U.S. strikes as of the reporting in the source materials. No publicly released evidence has documented direct causation between the U.S. actions and the funeral delay.