Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, takes part in a demonstration marking Jerusalem Day in Tehran, a May 31, 2019 file photo shows. (Photo by Morteza Nicoubazal/Nurfoto via Getty Images) (Image: Nurfoto via Getty Images)
Reports suggest that Iranian officials are afraid to “bury” the slain supreme leader months after his death.
Ali Khamenei, 86, was assassinated in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, sparking Iran’s war with the US – his son was later appointed his successor.
The cleric’s remains have not yet been buried, breaking long-standing tradition. According to the New York Post.
A security expert has now claimed the delay was due to Tehran being too afraid to begin the burial.
Millions of Iranians mourned in the streets of Tehran at the last state funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989 – yet similar displays of mourning for Khamenei were largely absent during air strikes across Iran that killed many of the regime’s most senior figures.
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According to reports, holding a ceremony would risk possible Israeli air strikes, nationalist counter-demonstrations similar to the nationwide uprising earlier this year, and the regime would be held accountable for the conspicuous absence of Mojtaba Khamenei – Khamenei’s son and newly appointed supreme leader, who has not been seen in public since taking office.
Taleblu added, “It speaks volumes that such a large number of people attended the funeral of the regime’s founding father in 1989, and a generation later his successors have not been able to hold a funeral even a month after his death.”
“The Islamic Republic loves to talk big about owning the streets, but a 50-day internet blackout tells you everything you need to know. The regime fears the consequences if the truth comes out.”
Iranian officials are now looking at the remote, northeastern city of Mashhad as a possible burial site, according to state media Fars, The Australian reports.
This video, taken from UGC Images posted on social media on January 13, 2026, on January 10, 2026, shows clashes in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. On January 12, 2026, a rights group said at least 648 people had been killed in a violent crackdown on a wave of protests in Iran, as Iranian authorities sought to regain control of the streets with mass nationwide rallies. (Photo by UGC/AFP via Getty Images) / Israel Outside / Limited to editorial use – Mandatory Credit AFP – Source: Unknown – No marketing – No advertising campaign – Distributed as a service to subscribers – No resale – No archive – No access Media outside Iran/Persian-language TV stations/BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto-1 TV/Iran International/Radio Farda – AFP is not responsible for any digital changes to Picture’s editorial content. (Image: UGC/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian officials are now looking at the remote, northeastern city of Mashhad as a possible burial site, according to state media Fars, The Australian reports.
Mashhad, which lies on the border with Turkmenistan and not far from Israel, is Khamenei’s birthplace and holds both practical and symbolic significance.
According to reports, one proposal under consideration would see Khamenei buried near the shrine, which would benefit from a substantial security presence capable of protecting the long-serving leader’s final resting place.
According to state news agency IRNA, the Islamic Republic originally planned a three-day state funeral starting on March 4, but this never came to fruition after widespread Israeli and US bombing campaigns on the country.
No date has been confirmed for Khamenei’s burial ceremony.
The US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on April 8, which expires on Wednesday.
