Iran's Supreme Leader Funeral: Three Sons Attend, Successor Mojtaba Absent

Millions of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday to bid farewell to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on February 28. While three of his sons attended the funeral prayers, his successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, remained out of public view, sparking questions about his condition and whereabouts.

State television showed Ali Khamenei's sons Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud standing behind their father's coffin during prayers at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi also joined the ceremony. Video footage showed Masoud Khamenei wiping away tears with a keffiyeh, the checkered scarf associated with revolutionary ideals and solidarity with Palestinians.

Ali Khamenei's coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and topped with a black turban, was placed alongside the coffins of four relatives who also died in the February 28 strikes, including an infant granddaughter. Authorities expect over 10 million people to participate in mourning ceremonies across Iran over the next week.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader in March, has not been seen publicly or heard speaking since his appointment. Iranian officials have declined to confirm whether he would attend any part of the funeral. Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, head of the funeral planning committee, said last week that information about Mojtaba's appearance would come from his office. Mojtaba also did not attend a memorial service for his wife, Zahra Hadad-Adel, who was killed in the same attack.

Reports indicate that Mojtaba was injured in the airstrike, suffering damage to one or both legs and facial disfigurement. No public image or confirmed sighting of him has emerged since the attack. Security experts have advised him not to reveal his location, citing concerns about potential Israeli assassination attempts. Many supporters had hoped the funeral would provide their first glimpse of the new leader.

Ehsan Hosseini, a supporter attending the ceremony, said, 'His safety should definitely be the priority. Whatever decision his office makes about his attendance will be the right one.'

Iran has organised a week-long series of funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until his death at age 86.