Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be buried alongside four of his family members during state funeral ceremonies that began on July 3, according to an Al Jazeera report. The funeral and burial proceedings started the previous night, with large-scale mourning processions planned. Diplomats and representatives from nearly 100 countries are expected to attend the events.
The report stated that several of Khamenei’s relatives, including his daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and a three-year-old granddaughter, were killed in a joint U.S.-Israel airstrike on February 28 and will be buried with him. Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that European countries which supported the U.S.-Israel military operation were not invited to the state funeral.
The national mourning will continue for several days, with memorial services beginning tomorrow. The funeral procession will pass through Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala before concluding in Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace, where the final burial and remembrance ceremonies will take place.