Funeral prayers offered for supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Iran's Mashhad

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Mashhad, Iran, to pay their respects to the assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei during funeral prayers. The event, held in sweltering heat, underscored the deep national grief and calls for vengeance following his assassination by an Israeli strike at the start of the Middle East conflict. Khamenei’s death has major implications for Iran's leadership and its regional policies, intensifying the already volatile geopolitical landscape. The grand procession towards the Shrine of Imam Reza highlighted the profound reverence and political significance of Khamenei's role in Iran.