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Iran announces Khamenei body to be buried in Mashhad — successor still unclear as Assembly of Experts hit

·Mashhad, Iran

Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency announced that the body of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be buried in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. No date was given. Meanwhile the Assembly of Experts, responsible for selecting a new supreme leader, had its offices in Qom and Tehran bombed.

Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency announced that the body of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assassinated in the opening US-Israel strikes on February 28, will be buried in the northeastern city of Mashhad — one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam and the former supreme leader's birthplace. No date for the ceremony was specified. The announcement comes amid a profound Iranian leadership crisis: the Assembly of Experts, the body constitutionally responsible for selecting a new supreme leader, had its offices bombed in both Qom and Tehran on March 3. President Trump, speaking at the White House, said 'most of the people we had in mind are dead,' referring to potential successors, and speculated a 'third wave' of likely successors may also have been eliminated. 'Pretty soon we're not going to know anybody,' Trump said. The succession process is constitutionally managed by the 86-member Assembly of Experts, but the institution's capacity is severely compromised by the ongoing strikes.
khameneisuccessionmashhadburialleadership-vacuum

Actor responses

IranNEUTRALofficial_statement

Iranian state media: Khamenei will be buried in Mashhad. The succession process continues despite attempts to destroy Iran's constitutional institutions. Iran will have a new Supreme Leader.

United StatesNEUTRALofficial_statement

Trump: Most of the people we had in mind to take over are dead. We may have eliminated potential successors as well. Iran's constitutional process is severely compromised.

Sources

T3Fars News Agency65% reliability
T1New York Times93% reliability

Related signals (2)

Press TV (Iran state)@@PressTVHIGH

BREAKING: The body of the late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad. No date has yet been announced. The Assembly of Experts has been convened to begin the process of selecting a new supreme leader under the Islamic Republic's constitution.

PHAROS NOTEOfficial Iranian state TV confirms burial location. Succession process claimed to be underway despite Assembly of Experts offices being bombed.
Fars News Agency@@FarsNewsAgencyHIGH

The body of Imam Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad. The date of the ceremony has not yet been announced. Iran mourns and Iran will avenge.

PHAROS NOTEOfficial announcement of Khamenei burial location. Mashhad is Shia holy city and Khamenei's birthplace. No succession announcement.