Iran Sets Six-Day State Funeral for Ali Khamenei From July 4 to 9

Overview

• State media announced on June 13 that public ceremonies will run from July 4 to July 9, beginning in Tehran, including rites in the holy city of Qom, and ending with burial in Mashhad on July 9.
• Khamenei was killed in late February during an offensive involving U.S. and Israeli forces and was succeeded in March by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, a move that formalized leadership but left other institutions uncertain.
• The funeral had been planned for March but was postponed because of the fighting, and the new dates formalize the delayed national ritual.
• Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the attack and Iranian accounts conflict over his condition, with some reports saying he was badly wounded and an Iranian health official later describing only superficial injuries.
• The ceremony revives questions about domestic legitimacy and control of parallel institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and comes at a moment when U.S. and Iranian officials are reported to be closer to an agreement to end the wider conflict.