Iran sets funeral for Ali Khamenei from July 4 to July 9, four months after his killing in US-Israeli strikes

The Iranian regime has finally scheduled public funeral rites for its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February during the opening wave of American and Israeli airstrikes. State television announced on Saturday that six days of national mourning will run from 4 to 9 July, with a burial in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

The funeral schedule

Public ceremonies will open in Tehran on 4 July and run for three days. A deputy mayor of Tehran, Mohammad-Amin Tavakolizadeh, has said that between 15 and 20 million people are expected to attend the capital’s events. On 7 July the rituals will move south to Qom, a stronghold of the Shia clerical establishment, before the body is taken to Mashhad for burial on 9 July. Khamenei’s daughter and son-in-law, who were also killed in the February strikes, will be interred the same day, according to Iranian media.

A long delay and questions about the remains

Islamic law prescribes burial as soon as possible after death, ideally within 24 hours, but exceptions are permitted in wartime. The funeral had originally been scheduled for March, yet the conflict forced its postponement. Iranian outlets have reported that the bodies of other officials killed in the attack were recovered only weeks later and identified through DNA testing. No official information has been released about the state or location of Khamenei’s remains, fuelling speculation during the delay.

Mojtaba Khamenei’s succession and silence

The slain leader’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba, was also injured in the strike that killed his father and his wife. He was named supreme leader in early March, becoming the third ruler of the Islamic Republic since 1979. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since the attack. All his communications have been through statements attributed to him and aired on state television or posted on social media. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in early June that he believes the younger Khamenei is “increasingly involved” in running the country, “even though all his communications have been by writing and through third parties”.

Symbolic timing and a possible peace framework

The start of the national funeral on 4 July will coincide with the United States’ Independence Day, which in 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the country. The coincidence has drawn international attention.

“He was one of the most evil men in history.”

Trump also described the killing as “a form of justice for the people of Iran” and for “Americans and people in many countries of the world who were killed or maimed by Khamenei and his band of bloodthirsty thugs.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Iran and the United States have agreed on a framework for a peace deal after more than three months of war and are expected to sign the initial deal within 24 hours.

Khamenei spent 36 years building Iran into an anti-US force, extending military reach across the Middle East through proxies such as Hezbollah and using an iron fist at home. The funeral will be the largest state event since his death and comes as both sides signal a possible end to the conflict that began with his killing.