Revenge cries echo as Iran buries Khamenei

A man waves a flag near Imam Reza’s shrine as mourners arrive for the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Mashhad early on July 9, 2026. Iranians were preparing on July 9 to bury their slain leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran, as new US strikes threatened to trigger a fresh escalation in the Middle East war. The late supreme leader’s burial follows a multi-day funeral ceremony that attracted millions of mourners across various cities in both Iran and Iraq.

Braving sweltering heat and calling for revenge, Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic massed on Thursday for the burial of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad. An Israeli strike killed Khamenei in late February on the first day of the Middle East war, bringing an end to his more than three and a half decades in power. Thousands of people filled the streets of the eastern city of Mashhad, home to one of the holiest sites in the Shia strain of Islam that is prevalent in Iran.

With new hostilities breaking out with the United States even after an accord last month to end the war, at least one fighter jet escorted the plane carrying the late Iranian leader’s coffin to Mashhad. The burial will be the final act in a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies which have allowed people to pay tribute in Tehran, the clerical hub of Qom and also Iraq. “People here all seek revenge,” said Mohammad Afsharian, 41, a shop owner.

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“I don’t know what’s the story with diplomacy and what’s the policy to continue diplomacy but all the people are carrying red flags in a sign of seeking revenge,” he said. Mourners take part in the funeral procession of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala early on July 9, 2026.

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