Iran stands at a historic crossroads as preparations begin for the burial of Ayatollah Khamenei in the sacred city of Mashhad. The announcement comes amid rapidly escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, following coordinated US-Israeli strikes that have triggered missile and drone retaliation across the Gulf region. Born in 1939, Khamenei served as Iran’s longest-standing Supreme Leader, shaping the Islamic Republic’s domestic and foreign policy for decades. His final resting place at the revered Imam Reza Shrine carries profound religious and political symbolism, intertwining his legacy with one of Shia Islam’s holiest pilgrimage sites. Before the burial in Mashhad, a large-scale ceremony in Tehran is expected to draw state officials, clerics, IRGC representatives and thousands of mourners. WATCH