Trump declares the ceasefire over, Washington launches a second wave of strikes, Iran hits back at Gulf states, and Khamenei is laid to rest in Mashhad
Weeks after a truce had been held between the United States and Iran, fighting flared up again this week, right as Iran prepared to bury its former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a February 28 airstrike.
The Ceasefire Collapses
President Trump declared the ceasefire over and framed the renewed strikes as retribution for Iranian retaliation. Tehran responded by targeting US regional allies, striking Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
A Second Wave of Strikes
The US launched fresh strikes on Iran overnight, marking the second wave of attacks within 24 hours. American strikes hit the perimeter of an Iranian nuclear power plant. Donald Trump briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about US operations in the Gulf, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.
Iran Buries Its Former Supreme Leader
Iran laid Khamenei to rest early Friday, more than four months after he was killed. His flag-covered coffin was carried into the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his home city, as large crowds gathered outside and listened to prayers. There was no public appearance by his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, at the burial. 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 capped a week of funeral processions, rallies and mourning across Iran, ceremonies that ended up coinciding with this fresh round of conflict with the United States after weeks of relative calm.
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