Videos of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei’s life and funeral. The six day event over multiple cities drew 40–43 million mourners in five cities across Iraq and Iran, making it the largest funeral in recorded history. It is likely to be included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The Victims
Official genealogy of the Khamenei family members murdered by Trump and Netanyahu on 28 February 2026. The English version was translated and generated by Claude AI.
Khamenei’s Life
Iranian TV compiled vignettes about aspects of his life and political activism.
Protest and Revolution
Protests began in late 1977, intensified in 1978, and culminated on 16 January 1979 when the Shah fled Iran, and Ayatollah Khoemeini returned on 1 February after fourteen years in exile.
The Iran-Iraq War, 1980–88
The eight-year war shaped and defined the Ayatollah, the Iranian nation, and Iran’s military doctrines, especially “strategic patience,” which translates as, “let’s avoid another catastrophic war.” Strategic patience expired with the Israeli assassinations of military commanders in 2025; and the US-Israeli assassinations in 2026 that included Ayatollah Khamenei.
Presidency, 1981–89
Ayatollah Khamenei’s years as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran coincided with the Iran-Iraq War. He visited the frontlines often to meet with commanders and soldiers.
The Funeral
It was impossible for me to find the “best” clips of commemorations in Tehran, Qum, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad. Social media and information channels are flooded with clips.
Services began on 3 July and ended on 9 July with his interment at Mashhad.
July 3: Official greeting of foreign delegations and dignitaries arriving in Tehran.
July 4–5: Public farewell ceremonies and lying-in-state at the Imam Khomeini Grand Musalla in Tehran.
July 6: The primary, large-scale funeral procession through the capital of Tehran, stretching from Imam Hussein Square to Azadi Square.
July 7: Religious rites and secondary public funeral processions in the holy city of Qum.
July 8: Transport of the body to Iraq for joint memorial processions in the holy shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala.
July 9: The final funeral procession in Mashhad, concluding with his official burial at the Imam Riza Shrine.
Selection of Videos
Tehran
Qum
Qum is second-holiest sanctuary city for Shia. It is centered on the shrine of Fatima Masumeh, the sister of the eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida (Ali al-Riza in Persian), eponym of the Imam Riza shrine at Mashhad.
Qum is the global hub for Shia scholarship. It houses the influential Qum Seminary, and served as the primary launching pad and ideological laboratory for the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Najaf, Iraq
Najaf is the third-holiest city in Shia Islam, centering on the tomb of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph and the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. It serves as the premier global center for Shia scholarship, pilgrimage, and jurisprudence.
Ayatollah Khomeini taught in Najaf for thirteen years during his exile. He lectured on Islamic jurisprudence and political philosophy at the renowned Hawza seminary, where he developed his blueprint for the Iranian Revolution.
Karbala, Iraq
Karbala is the emotional and theological heart of Shia Islam. It is the site of the pivotal Battle of Karbala (10 Muharram 61 AH/10 October 680 AD) between forces commanded by the Prophet’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali (son of the fourth caliph, Ali), and an army of the Umayyad dynasty (661–750). Imam Husayn attained martyrdom at Karbala during the reign of Yazid, the second Umayyad caliph. Umayyads also murdered 72 members of Imam Husayn’s family, i.e., members of the Prophet’s family (ahl al-bayt). Hence the contemporary Shia interpretation of Trump as the “Yazid” of today. Husayn’s martyrdom transformed Karbala into the symbol of resistance. When Shia invoke “Karbala” in the context of the US-Israel war, the word immediately conveys the meaning of oppressed peoples resisting tyrants.
Karbala is centered on the resplendent Imam Husayn Shrine. Karbala hosts the annual Arba’in pilgrimage—marking the forty (Arabic: arba’in) days following Imam Husayn’s death. Arba’in is underway, ending 20 Safar 1448/3-4 August 2026. Karbala, therefore, is an international focal point for Shia identity, mourning, devotion, and pilgrimage.
Mashhad
Mashhad is centered on the Imam Riza Shrine, the burial site of the eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida/Riza. Because Imam Riza was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, he is venerated by Sunni and Shia. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (d. 809 AD) is buried in the shrine, along with scores of Sunni and Shia notables.
Shared reverence made Mashhad a cross-denominational spiritual hub. Sunni and Shia shahs and sultans visited the shrine to receive blessings; for example, Tamerlane and his successor, Shah Rukh. Many of the complex’s magnificent architectural monuments were commissioned by Sunni patrons. Gawhar Shad—daughter-in-law of Tamerlane—financed the landmark mosque in 1418. The complex reflects diverse Islamic architectural edifices.
Interment in Imam Riza Shrine
“Revenge, Revenge”
I say to our martyred Leader: We pledge to avenge your pure blood and that of all the martyrs that fell in these two recent wars of aggression.
This revenge is the will of our nation, and will certainly be carried out.
The criminals responsible, whose list is openly available from top to bottom, will wish to die a peaceful death in bed. But they’ll take that unfulfilled wish to their graves.
They should know that this matter does not depend on me or other officials. Whether we are there or not, this matter will be realized and soon each and every free person in the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission.
—Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 11 July 2026—
One does not murder an ayatollah and expect to sleep peacefully at night and die in a nursing home of old age with the grandkids bawling as you descend into hell. Ayatollah K was not the leader of global Shia or the most exalted scholar in Shiʿism, but he was an ayatollah, respected and loved by millions of global Shia, and the leader of Iran. There will be retribution.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement is meaningful in light of the “Iraqi Pilot Program.” Here, Iraqi pilots that dropped chemical weapons on Iranians and Iraqi Kurds were identified and executed by Iranians and affiliated Shia militias. About 180 Iraqis are known to have been killed; while more than 800 Iraqis disappeared. Many of the “disappeared” probably received asylum from their American, British, German, and French allies; but a subset of them are believed to have received the “Jimmy Hoffa Special.” Dozens of intelligence officers and generals were executed. The Iraqi Army’s chief of staff disappeared from his Danish home.
Iran, like Santa Claus, has made a list of the naughty and nice: “criminals responsible, whose list is openly available from top to bottom” (Mojtaba Khamenei). However, unlike Santa, Iran will be delivering unwelcome gifts. I expect many in the Trump Administration, CIA, CENTCOM, Joint Chiefs, USAF, and USN to be punished in the coming years. Families of Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, and other officials may not be safe: the murders of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family provide justification for the killing of family members of American officials and military officers. Not a smart move, as an astute observer noted.
Note Mojtaba Khamenei’s phrasing: “They [war criminals] should know that this matter does not depend on me or other officials. Whether we are there or not [alive or deceased], this matter will be realized and soon each and every free person in the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission.” The revenge campaign will transcend this generation of Iranian political and militaru leaders; and every Shia (or Muslim) in the world is encouraged to do their duty.