TEHRAN / Anadolu

On Tuesday, a memorial ceremony was held in the Iranian capital Tehran for former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike.

The ceremony, held at the Imam Khomeini Prayer Grounds Mosque, was attended by a large number of political, military, and religious officials.

Among the participants were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Quds Force commander Major General Ismail Qaani, Ali Khamenei's sons Mustafa, Masoud, and Meysam Khamenei, as well as former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The memorial ceremony included recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.

Ali Khamenei's body had been laid to rest days earlier in his designated section inside the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, northeastern Iran.

On Friday, the funeral prayer for Khamenei's body was held in Mashhad, before he was buried in a designated place inside the Imam Reza shrine.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for about 36 years, was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike targeting him on the first day of the war on the country, on February 28 of last year.

Since that date, the Gulf region has witnessed escalating tensions, while negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides on June 18 of last year, with the aim of reaching a final agreement.