This handout photograph provided by the office of Iran's supreme leader shows mourners attending the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Qom on July 7, 2026. Photo by - / KHAMENEI.IR / AFP
The body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei arrived at Najaf International Airport in Iraq on Tuesday night, Iraqi state media reported, ahead of funeral processions in the country’s holy cities, which are home to the shrines most revered by Shia Muslims.
Iran began six days of public funeral ceremonies for Khamenei on Saturday, including a dedicated day to neighbouring Iraq — a Shia powerhouse with close ties to Tehran.
Khamenei, killed on the first day of the Middle East war in US-Israeli strikes, will be buried on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.
Iraqi state TV broadcast the arrival of the Mahan Air flight that brought Khamenei’s coffin to Najaf airport, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had arrived shortly before to attend the official Iraqi ceremony.
