Iran: Funeral for late Supreme Leader Khamenei to begin July 4, burial set for July 9

The funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will begin in Tehran on July 4 and conclude with his burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, on July 9, state media reported on Saturday.

Khamenei was killedon the first day of Israeli and U.S. airstrikes against Iran on February 28. The 86-year-old cleric had been at the helm of the Islamic Republic for 36 years.

The funeral arrangements will include ceremonies on July 7 in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, media said.

Islamic law requires the deceased to be buried as soon as possible, and ideally within 24 hours of death, but exceptions are allowed, for example in time of war.

During his rule, Khamenei built Iran into a powerful anti-U.S. force, spreading its military sway across the Middle East through proxy forces such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, while using an iron fist to crush outbreaks of unrest at home.

Khamenei remained a strong critic of the United States throughout his rule, while successive U.S. administrations tried unsuccessfully to resolve a dispute with Iran over its nuclear programme.

The airstrike that killed him pulverised his central Tehran compound. His 56-year-old son Mojtaba, who also lost his wife in the airstrike and was himself injured, succeeded his father as Supreme Leader.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Iran and the United States had agreed on a framework for a peace deal after more than three months of war and are expected to sign the initial deal in the next 24 hours.

-Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Eman Abouhassira, Mohammed Gebaly and Dubai newsroom, Editing by Louise Heavens and Gareth Jones/Reuters