Funeral rites for Iran’s Ali Khamenei will begin July 4 in Tehran and conclude July 9 with burial in Mashhad, with a July 7 ceremony in Qom, state media saidThe funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will begin in Tehran on July 4 and ​conclude with his burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, ‌on July 9, state media reported on Saturday.The funeral arrangements will include ​ceremonies on July 7 in the holy city of ⁠Qom, south of Tehran, media said.Islamic law requires the deceased ​to be buried as soon as possible, and ideally within 24 ​hours of death, but exceptions are allowed, for example in time of war.During his rule, Khamenei built Iran into a powerful anti-U.S. force, spreading its military ​sway across the Middle East through proxy forces such as ​Hezbollah in Lebanon, while using an iron fist to crush outbreaks of unrest ‌at ⁠home.The airstrike that killed ​him pulverised his ​central Tehran compound. ⁠His 56-year-old son Mojtaba, who also lost his wife in the airstrike and was himself injured, ​succeeded his father as Supreme Leader.