In the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, thousands of mourners gathered on Thursday for the final burial of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, four months after his death, with grief, anger and calls for retaliation mingled with quiet anxiety about the future.
His body returned to Iran on Thursday following processions in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, more than four months after he was killed by U.S. and Israeli forces on February 28. Final ceremonies took place at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, the city where his life began, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects.
For many, the loss remained deeply personal.
"Today I came to say my final farewell to the leader who is dearer to me than my own life. A leader who was the helmsman and captain of this Islamic Revolution. A leader who was oppressed and was martyred in the most oppressed way. We have truly lost a father," said Mohammadreza, a mourner. Grief was visible across the city, but so was anger. Some mourners said the killing had unified the country.
"We are saddened and angry about the unjustly shed blood of our leader, yet we are happy and proud that the entire nation of Iran has united with one voice for the blood of their leader and is standing firmly in his defense," said Asghar, another mourner. Others were calling for retaliation, reflecting a more hardline mood.
"Now we have come with all these people for revenge — revenge for the blood of our leader, revenge for the blood of the martyrs. We have all gathered here for revenge. Let the whole world know that we will take revenge for our leader's blood very soon," said Yazdani, a mourner.
While many among the crowds were fueled by calls for retribution, there was also a quiet anxiety about the future, with citizens mindful of the heavy economic challenges facing the country.
Multi-day funeral ceremony for Iranian late supreme leader ends in hometown of Mashhad
