Iran releases first footage of Khamenei's compound after US-Israeli strikes

Iranian state media on Wednesday released what it described as the first footage showing damage inside the Tehran compound of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following the US-Israeli strikes that killed him earlier this year. The 35-second video was released on the day of his burial.

The footage shows the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, a hall within Khamenei’s compound where he regularly held key meetings and delivered public addresses. It shows collapsed sections of the building, twisted steel beams and piles of rubble, indicating the extent of the damage.

According to Iranian state media, Khamenei, 86, was killed in the US-Israeli strikes on February 28. Several members of his family, including his 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, were also killed. Iranian media also reported that his son and designated successor, Mojtaba Ali Khamenei, was injured in the attack.

The Tehran compound was home to Khamenei, his wife Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, their four sons — Mostafa, Mojtaba, Masoud and Meysam — and two daughters, Boshra and Hoda. Boshra’s daughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, also lived at the residence.

Khamenei was buried next to the shrine of Imam Reza in his hometown of Mashhad, concluding a six-day funeral procession that began in Tehran on July 4. The procession also passed through Qom and the Iraqi Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before ending in Mashhad. His casket had earlier lain in state at the Tehran Grand Mosalla before being carried through the streets of Tehran and Qom.

The footage was released as tensions remained high in West Asia. The United States said it had carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after attacks on commercial vessels. Iran said it had targeted US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, raising concerns that the conflict could escalate further.