Khamenei Mourned in Najaf as US-Iran Strikes Resume
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- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral procession drew thousands in Najaf, with the dayslong ceremonies having begun Saturday in Tehran after authorities shut down streets, airspace, and daily life.
- Khamenei was killed in late February at age 86 in wide-scale US and Israeli strikes on Iran, alongside several other senior Iranian leaders during the months-long war.
- The US military struck Iran early Wednesday after saying Tehran hit three ships in the Strait of Hormuz; Iran retaliated with strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.
- Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, has not appeared at the funeral and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
- Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim led funeral prayers at the Shrine of Imam Ali, with the body due in Karbala for prayers at the Imam Hussein Shrine led by Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei before returning to Iran.
- US-Iran talks are on hold until after the burial, raising fears the interim ceasefire agreement could come under strain.
Why it matters: The new Supreme Leader's reported absence from his father's funeral — said to be due to injuries sustained in the same airstrike — leaves Iran's succession unresolved while the country is actively exchanging strikes with the US at three separate locations (Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain) and a fragile ceasefire is suspended for the duration of the burial period.
