Three sons of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led funeral prayers beside his coffin in Tehran on Sunday, while Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent from the public ceremony, according to Iranian state television.
State television broadcast images of Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei standing beside the coffins of their father and four other family members inside Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners gathered for funeral prayers.
The ceremony forms part of a week-long state funeral before Khamenei’s burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Iranian officials said funeral processions would continue in several cities before the burial later this week. Authorities described the ceremonies as a national tribute to the longtime leader.
Reuters reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s supreme leader, did not attend the public prayers. Iranian authorities did not publicly explain his absence, and no recent photographs or video showed him attending the funeral ceremonies.
According to Reuters, people close to Mojtaba Khamenei said he was seriously wounded during the February 28 airstrike that killed his father and several relatives. Reuters reported that the sources said he suffered facial injuries and severe injuries to one or both legs. Reuters noted that it could not independently verify those claims.
The funeral comes as Iran and the United States continue to signal interest in resuming diplomatic engagement following recent hostilities, although neither government has announced a comprehensive agreement.
The funeral has become one of the largest state ceremonies held in Iran in decades, drawing senior political, military and religious officials alongside thousands of mourners.
-Khaama Press
State television broadcast images of Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei standing beside the coffins of their father and four other family members inside Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners gathered for funeral prayers.
The ceremony forms part of a week-long state funeral before Khamenei’s burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Iranian officials said funeral processions would continue in several cities before the burial later this week. Authorities described the ceremonies as a national tribute to the longtime leader.
Reuters reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s supreme leader, did not attend the public prayers. Iranian authorities did not publicly explain his absence, and no recent photographs or video showed him attending the funeral ceremonies.
According to Reuters, people close to Mojtaba Khamenei said he was seriously wounded during the February 28 airstrike that killed his father and several relatives. Reuters reported that the sources said he suffered facial injuries and severe injuries to one or both legs. Reuters noted that it could not independently verify those claims.
The funeral comes as Iran and the United States continue to signal interest in resuming diplomatic engagement following recent hostilities, although neither government has announced a comprehensive agreement.
The funeral has become one of the largest state ceremonies held in Iran in decades, drawing senior political, military and religious officials alongside thousands of mourners.
-Khaama Press
