Iran Buries Khamenei in Mashhad as His Successor Stays Hidden
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is to be buried today at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his home city, ending a days-long procession through Tehran, Qom and the Iraqi holy cities that drew vast crowds; the governor of Mashhad said he expected millions. Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989, was killed aged 86 in the opening Israeli strike of the war in February. His son and presumed successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has made no public appearance throughout the rites and is reported to have been wounded in the same attack.
The burial closes the longest state mourning in the Islamic Republic’s history and reopens its most dangerous question at the worst possible moment: who actually leads Iran as it trades strikes with the United States. Mojtaba’s complete absence — through his father’s procession across two countries — has turned from oddity into the defining uncertainty, whether the cause is his injuries, a security calculation, or a succession still being fought over behind closed doors. He is to be buried alongside family members killed in the same February strike. Watch Mashhad for any sign of him today, and for who leads the burial prayers if he does not appear.