Khamenei's Death Confirmed; Iran Holds Seven-Day State Funeral in July

Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic since 1989, was killed on 28 February 2026. Al Jazeera and CNN report that he died in an air strike during the US–Israel war on Iran; Al Jazeera reported he was killed alongside several relatives. Iran's state broadcaster IRIB confirmed the death the following day. The state funeral had originally been set for early March but was postponed by the war. The ceremonies were rescheduled to run from 3 to 9 July 2026, with processions in Tehran and Qom before burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. Al Jazeera reported that foreign delegations from more than 100 countries attended the seven-day proceedings. Khamenei's death opened an unresolved succession crisis inside the Islamic Republic — a contested transfer of power at the top of a state weakened by war, economic collapse and deep popular anger. Its political consequences are still unfolding.