A U.S. strike has disrupted train service between Tehran and Mashhad — the city where the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was set to take place.
Iranian state media outlet IRIB reported Thursday (July 9) that the U.S. strike targeted the railway line. Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said two bridges were destroyed.
A spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways told IRGC-affiliated outlet Tasnim that efforts were under way to repair the route as quickly as possible.
The railway between the capital, Tehran, and the northeastern city of Mashhad is reported to be one of Iran’s busiest routes.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “Last night we struck Iran very hard, very hard. Tonight too, they will probably face a devastating attack.”
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrying Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body has arrived in Mashhad, the holy city in the country’s east.
Footage broadcast on Iranian media showed the Mahan Air aircraft carrying the body taxiing at the airport after landing. Mashhad is Khamenei’s birthplace.
Earlier, religious ceremonies were held in the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala to pay final respects to him, drawing participation from hundreds of thousands of people.
Since Khamenei’s death, mourning ceremonies and tributes have continued across Iran and Iraq for the past six days. As part of this, funeral prayers and mourning events were held in various locations, including the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. The transfer of the coffin from Najaf to Mashhad marks the final stage of that program.
Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of Khamenei’s office, said that during his lifetime, Khamenei had expressed a wish to be buried near the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report