After a week of elaborate funeral ceremonies across Iran and Iraq, former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was buried Thursday in the holy city of Mashhad, bringing to a close days of state-organized mourning as the Islamic Republic continues to grapple with internal turmoil and ongoing U.S. military strikes.

Thousands of mourners packed the streets of Mashhad on Thursday morning, waving Iranian flags, carrying portraits of Khamenei, and displaying banners bearing revolutionary slogans as the funeral procession made its way through the northeastern city, home to Iran’s holiest Shiite shrine.

Khamenei’s burial marked the conclusion of a weeklong series of funeral processions that carried his body through multiple cities in Iran and Iraq. Throughout the ceremonies, senior clerics and leaders of the Islamic Republic urged supporters to participate in large numbers in an effort to project the regime’s strength, reinforce its revolutionary ideology, and demonstrate continued popular support.

Despite surviving months of war involving both the United States and Israel, Iran continues to face serious domestic challenges, and Khamenei’s 37-year rule remains deeply divisive within the country.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei—who was named Iran’s new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts one week after his father’s death—remain unknown to the Iranian public.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the war began on February 28. Although written statements have been issued in his name, no photographs, videos, or audio recordings have been released.

He was reportedly seriously wounded in the same strike that killed his father and several other family members, suffering severe facial injuries as well as major wounds to his limbs.

Senior sources in Tehran told Reuters that Mojtaba is continuing to recover from those injuries but has not yet regained sufficient strength to appear in public. According to the report, Iranian security officials are also limiting his public exposure out of concern over possible American assassination attempts.

As mourners gathered in Mashhad awaiting the arrival of Khamenei’s funeral procession, some in the crowd chanted slogans calling for revenge against President Donald Trump.

Prior to Thursday’s burial, memorial ceremonies for Khamenei and four members of his family who were killed alongside him had already been held in Tehran, Qom—the center of Shiite religious authority in Iran—and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.

At each stop along the funeral route, massive crowds filled the streets, chanting Shiite religious slogans alongside revolutionary and anti-American chants in honor of the longtime Iranian leader.

{Matzav.com}