The funeral of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 28, will take place on July 9 in his birthplace in north-east Iran.
Khamenei will be buried in the city of Mashhad beside the shrine of the eighth Shiite imam, Imam Reza, Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref announced on Tuesday, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Mourning ceremonies will be also held in the days leading up to his burial in Tehran and in the Shiite pilgrimage city of Qom. Since millions of people are expected to attend, Aref said a total of five holidays have been declared in the three cities.
Khamenei was 86 when he died at his official residence in Tehran during the first wave of Israeli and US attacks.
His funeral was originally scheduled for much earlier but was repeatedly postponed for security reasons – partly because the entire political leadership would be in attendance.
It was unclear whether his 56-year-old son and successor, Mojtaba, who was seriously injured in the attack, will also attend. He was appointed the new Iranian leader a week after his father's death.
Since then, however, he has not appeared in public, sparking speculation about his health and his possible death.
