Iran Routes Khamenei's Funeral Through Iraq's Holiest Shia Cities to Assert Regional Authority

Ayatollah Khamenei, killed in an airstrike in February, is being buried Thursday in Mashhad — but his coffin first travels through Najaf and Karbala, Iraq's most sacred Shia sites. Iranian President Pezeshkian will attend the Iraq ceremonies. The routing ties Khamenei's legacy to transnational Shia religious geography, signaling institutional continuity across borders at a moment of vulnerability for Iran's clerical leadership after wartime disruption.