Iran on Friday laid to rest its former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, over four months after his killing in an airstrike, occurring as two days of US and Iranian attacks escalated fears of a return to all-out war.

Khamenei's flag-covered coffin was carried aloft into the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mashhad in eastern Iran as a sea of people waited outside and listened to prayers, with no sign of a public appearance by his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.

State broadcaster IRIB reported that the "body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution was buried in the memorial hall of the shrine of Imam Reza."

The burial followed a second day of tit-for-tat strikes by Washington and Tehran's forces, with Iranian officials reporting that US operations killed 17 people and state media indicating one strike targeted a railway line between Tehran and Mashhad.

Meanwhile, the Islamic republic announced it had resumed attacks targeting American assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, as sirens sounded in Jordan—another US ally—where the military reported intercepting eight missiles launched from Iran.

Khamenei was killed alongside close family members on February 28 during the opening day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Serving as the final leg of a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies, the burial in Mashhad drew intense scrutiny for any sign of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make a public appearance since his appointment.

Parliament speaker and chief negotiator in talks with the United States Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, powerful chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Khamenei's eldest son Mostafa Khamenei were all present at the shrine, with several senior figures weeping over the coffin as captured in state television broadcasts.

However, much like previous days of the funeral procession, Mojtaba Khamenei was absent; since being named successor, he has communicated solely through written statements and is reported to have been wounded in the initial February 28 strikes.

Outside the venue, crowds of men and women dressed in black gathered in Mashhad to demand vengeance against US President Donald Trump, accompanied by English-language slogans including "Hey Trump we will kill you," according to AFP correspondents.

Concurrently, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources, that Israel informed the United States its intelligence had uncovered a new Iranian plot targeting Trump.

Iranian state media stated Thursday that the United States struck the perimeter of Iran's sole civilian nuclear plant, citing the deputy governor of Bushehr province, and reported a projectile hit a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr, though a US defence official clarified that the American military was not actively conducting strikes on Iran at that time.

State media further noted that a US strike damaged a section of the Tehran-Mashhad railway 55 kilometres from Mashhad, halting train operations and forcing the transfer of passengers to buses.

In response, Iran's army stated it utilized drones to target a Patriot missile system in Kuwait, an early warning system in Qatar, and fuel tanks in Bahrain as part of its broader offensive against regional US bases.

A US defence official countered that the dozens of missiles and drones launched by Iran were either successfully intercepted or produced no significant damage and zero injuries to American personnel.

Underscoring the high-security environment, footage from the late supreme leader's official website showed at least one fighter jet escorting the aircraft carrying Khamenei's coffin to Mashhad.

Following Israel's June 2025 campaign against Iran and the ongoing conflict this year, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned during a military ceremony on Thursday that Israel stands ready to strike Iran for a "third time" if necessary, vowing to execute it "with even greater force."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment, stating, "We are preparing for every scenario," while his office confirmed he held a phone call with Trump on Thursday to receive updates regarding "American moves in the Gulf."

The Strait of Hormuz continues to serve as a critical flashpoint, with Tehran maintaining demands for control over the vital oil and gas corridor despite free passage protocols that existed before the war.

After the Iranian military struck at least three vessels in recent days, triggering extensive US retaliatory raids starting Tuesday, maritime tracking data from Kpler showed commercial traffic through the strait dropping sharply from Wednesday onward, particularly along the UN-backed Omani route.

Source: AFP