Nation in sorrow: Sayyed Ali Khamenei to be laid to rest in Mashhad

Iran announced on Tuesday that the body of its leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, who was martyred in a cowardly US-Israeli aggression, will be laid to rest in Mashhad, as the country continues its military response and retaliation for a fourth consecutive day.

The agency noted that officials in the ceremony organizing committee are working to arrange a grand public farewell for Sayyed Khamenei in the capital, Tehran.

The committee added that Sayyed Ali Khamenei will be laid to rest beside the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida at the Imam Reza holy shrine in Mashhad, as per his final will.

It noted that details of the ceremony will be announced by the relevant officials as soon as they are finalized.

It is worth mentioning that the martyred Leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was born in Mashhad. His father, Sayyed Javad Khamenei, is also buried in the Tawhid Khaneh portico at the shrine of Imam Reza.

Meanwhile, Iran continued its strikes for the fourth consecutive day in the Gulf region and against Israeli targets, in retaliation for US-Israeli aggression that began last Saturday morning. The assaults have reportedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, including Sayyed Khamenei, who was referred to by officials as the leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic.

Final stages underway to select Iran’s new leader
Iran has entered the final stages of selecting a new Leader, with an announcement expected within hours or days, according to a report published Tuesday by Fars News Agency, citing an informed source.

The source said the constitutional mechanism for appointing the country’s highest authority is operating at full capacity, and an official decision is anticipated in the near term.

According to the report, the martyred leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, did not designate a specific successor prior to his martyrdom, leaving the matter up to the Assembly of Experts. However, he is said to have emphasized key criteria for leadership, including resistance to global arrogance, courage, integrity, justice, awareness of contemporary challenges, and administrative capability.

The sources added that the highest level of security measures has been implemented to facilitate the Assembly of Experts’ meeting.

They also indicated that the final in-person session of the Assembly to formally select the new leader could be postponed until after next week’s burial ceremonies for Khamenei.

Sayyed Khamenei martyred on frontlines
The leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was martyred in the joint US-Israeli aggression on Iran on February 28.

Iranian state television reported that the leader of Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was martyred at his workplace while he was carrying out his duties in his office following the joint US-Israeli attacks in the early hours of Saturday.

According to Iranian state television, Sayyed Khamenei’s martyrdom at his workplace once again refuted claims by “outlets linked to the Israeli regime and regional reactionary currents that the leader was in a secure and undisclosed location,” affirming that he remained present on the frontlines of responsibility among his people.

IRGC launches 15th, 14th waves of Operation True Promise 4
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the completion of the 15th wave of Operation True Promise 4, carried out by its naval forces through what it described as special operational measures targeting US forces across the region.

According to an IRGC statement, 10 vital and strategic targets at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, including command centers and equipment facilities used by US forces, were directly struck by Iranian missiles.

The statement added that field monitoring and satellite reconnaissance showed the base’s infrastructure had been rendered completely out of service, with reports pointing to internal disarray and the withdrawal of US personnel from the site.

Meanwhile, AFP correspondents reported hearing multiple explosions on Tuesday in both Manama and Doha, as sirens sounded across the Bahraini capital.

The 15th wave follows in rapid succession from earlier strikes. The IRGC announced the 14th wave early morning on Tuesday, also targeting Sheikh Isa Air Base in a combined drone and missile assault.

The IRGC said 20 drones and three missiles struck their intended targets, destroying the base’s main command and HQs, setting its fuel tanks ablaze, with plumes of fire and smoke visible over a wide area.

Hours earlier, overnight Monday, the IRGC declared the launch of the 13th wave of the operation, targeting US Marine Corps positions at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait using one-way attack drones.

The statement also reported that remaining facilities linked to the US naval fleet in Bahrain were struck and destroyed by six additional one-way drones. The IRGC further stated that the fuel tanker Athens Nova remained ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by two drones in an earlier strike.