Iran prepares to bury Khamenei as US steps up strikes

Iranians were preparing on Thursday to bury their slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran, as fresh US strikes threatened to trigger a new escalation in the Middle East war.

The late supreme leader's burial follows a multi-day funeral ceremony that attracted millions of mourners across cities in Iran and Iraq, reports French news agency AFP.

But as the funeral rites entered their final day, the United States launched fresh strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks on shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump, who had earlier said the US ceasefire with Iran was over, warned of "much worse" to come if Iran continued to target vessels in the strait.

Khamenei was killed on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the war.

Following a marathon procession through the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday, his remains were due to reach their final resting place in the holy city of Mashhad.

Observers have been watching closely for any sign of Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make a public appearance and was reportedly injured in the same strike that killed his father.

Mashhad Governor Hassan Hosseini was quoted by state television as saying he "expects 15 million people" to attend Khamenei's funeral.

The funeral was originally scheduled to begin on Thursday at 6:00 am (0230 GMT), but local media later quoted organisers as saying it would start at 2:00 pm because ceremonies in Iraq had overrun.

According to the official IRNA news agency, Khamenei was to be buried on Thursday evening at the Shrine of Imam Reza, Iran's most revered place of worship. Imam Reza is the only one of the 12 Shia imams buried in Iran.

Khamenei's funeral ceremonies included a series of locations reflecting the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic.

His chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpaygani, had previously said on state television that Khamenei himself had wished to be buried in Mashhad.

Several notable figures have been buried at the shrine over the centuries, including several former Iranian shahs and former president Ebrahim Raisi.

Massive crowds

The ceremony has so far drawn massive crowds across several cities, beginning with Khamenei's three days of lying in state in the capital, Tehran.

The Islamic republic hopes the ceremony will project strength and unity following the Middle East war and six months after a crackdown on anti-government protests.

Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989, was killed at the age of 86 along with several members of his family and senior officials in an Israeli strike.

After five weeks of intense hostilities, a fragile ceasefire and an initial accord with the United States sought to put the Middle East conflict on hold.

But the ceasefire appeared increasingly fragile as US Central Command said it had carried out strikes to degrade the ability of Iranian forces "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz, a key point of contention in US-Iran talks.

Calls for restraint continued as US forces struck multiple sites along Iran's coast in response to Iranian attacks on three ships in the waterway.

Tehran earlier said it had struck US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Following ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei's remains were transported on Tuesday to the clerical city of Qom, then to neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday, before his burial on Thursday.

He will be buried alongside his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba Khamenei's wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, who were all killed in the February 28 strikes.