TEHRAN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28, will be buried in the northeastern city of Mashhad, a senior municipal official said here Tuesday.
Mohammad-Amin Tavakkolizadeh, Tehran mayor's deputy for social and cultural affairs, said Khamenei will be buried at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in accordance with his will and family's recommendation, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Three days of farewell ceremonies and a 24-hour funeral procession are planned in Tehran, possibly at first Supreme Leader of Iran Imam Khomeini's Grand Mosalla or his mausoleum. The body will then be transferred to Qom and Mashhad for similar ceremonies, Tavakkolizadeh said.
The ceremonies are scheduled to be held starting from the second half of June. Up to 20 million people may participate in the Tehran events, he said.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader in early March.
In a separate report on Tuesday, Fars, citing an informed source, said message exchanges between Iran and the United States have been halted since at least a few days ago.
The last message sent from Tehran to Washington was a "clear" one regarding Lebanon that has received global attention, it said.
This report came as U.S. President Donald Trump wrote Tuesday in a Truth Social post that negotiations between the United States and Iran "have been going on continuously."
Reports about the suspension of the negotiations are "false and erroneous," Trump wrote. ■
