Iranian state media on Thursday released what it described as the first official footage showing the damage inflicted on the Tehran compound of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the video being made public on the day of his burial. The 35-second clip offers a rare look inside the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, the main hall within the compound where Khamenei regularly addressed the nation, hosted senior officials and held key state meetings.
The footage shows widespread destruction inside the complex, including collapsed sections of the structure, twisted steel beams and large piles of debris, underscoring the scale of the US-Israeli strikes that killed Khamenei at the start of the conflict on February 28. The 86-year-old leader died in the attack along with several members of his family, including his 14-month-old granddaughter. His son, Mojtaba Ali Khamenei, who later assumed the position of Supreme Leader, was reportedly injured in the same strike.
The release of the video coincided with the conclusion of Khamenei's week-long funeral ceremonies, which drew large crowds across Iran and neighbouring Iraq. His casket was first placed in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla before funeral processions were held in Tehran and the holy city of Qom. It was later taken to the Shia pilgrimage centres of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before being returned to Iran for burial in his hometown of Mashhad in the country's northeast.
The footage emerged against the backdrop of renewed military tensions in the region. The United States announced fresh strikes targeting Iranian positions, saying the operations were intended to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after attacks on commercial cargo vessels. The strikes reportedly caused damage in parts of southern Iran and disrupted electricity supplies in some areas. In response, Iran claimed it had launched attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, further raising fears that the fragile ceasefire framework could collapse and push the region back towards a wider conflict.