Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Laid to Rest in Iran Amid Widespread Protests

Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Thursday (9 July 2026). Khamenei's funeral procession brought millions of people to the city of Mashhad, holding Iranian flags and portraits of the late leader. People waved red posters with revolutionary slogans and vowed revenge on the United States. Many protesters chanted slogans against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Millions of people also waved black flags where he was buried, reports CNBC. Khamenei's body was flown from Iraq to Mashhad, Iran, on the morning of 9 July. Iran also released a video of the plane's arrival in Mashhad. Khamenei's body was taken to Najaf and Karbala, Iraq, before being laid to rest. Religious ceremonies involving him were held the following day. His body was flown to the Iranian capital of Tehran, where it was cremated.