Khamenei's coffin carried through Shia shrines as ceremonies held in Iraq

Later on Wednesday, Khamenei's coffin arrived in Karbala, about 60km (37 miles) north of Najaf, for another funeral procession that ended at the shrine of Imam Hussein. His death in battle there in the 7th Century cemented the schism between Shia and Sunnis.ReutersHuge crowds filled the streets of Najaf early on Wednesday for the funeral processionOn Tuesday evening, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian figures flew to Iraq to take part in the ceremonies for Khamenei.The Iranian delegation was welcomed on arrival by Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi, whose government declared Wednesday a public holiday.Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, once again did not make an appearance. He has not been seen in public since he was reportedly seriously wounded in the same Israeli air strike in Tehran on 28 February that killed his father, his wife and several other family members.Pezeshkian reportedly flew home to Tehran early on Wednesday, after the US and Iran exchanged strikes following attacks on several tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.The US blamed the attacks on Iran and said its forces in the region carried out strikes on dozens of Iranian military targets in retaliation. Iran said it responded by attacking US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he believed the three-week-old preliminary agreement between the US and Iran to end the war was "over".