Iran holds prayers for slain leader as tensions escalate

Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Friday for prayers to honour Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in an Israeli airstrike.

His death plunged the country into a period of uncertainty and grief.

State television footage showed that vast crowds assembled at the mausoleum of revolutionary Founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, where the ceremony was led by cleric Mohammad-Javad Haj Ali Akbari.

The event marked the culmination of a 40-day mourning period observed in Shia Islam, which began shortly after Khamenei’s death on Feb. 28.

In spite of the large-scale ceremonies, key questions remain unresolved.

Authorities have yet to confirm a burial date, though official plans indicate Khamenei will be laid to rest in Mashhad, his birthplace in northeastern Iran.

Meanwhile, his son and designated successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly since assuming leadership in early March.