TEHRAN, Iran- Three sons of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appeared publicly on Sunday to attend his state funeral, while his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent amid reports that he is recovering from injuries sustained during the attack that killed several members of his family.
Iranian state television broadcast images of Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei standing in prayer behind their father’s coffin at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners gathered for funeral rites.
The coffins of four other family members were also displayed during the ceremony, including Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
The funeral is part of a week-long series of state ceremonies organised by the Islamic Republic following Khamenei’s death in an Israeli and United States military operation on February 28 that targeted Iranian facilities at the start of the recent conflict.
Iranian authorities have planned processions across several cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq, reflecting the late leader’s significance within the country’s political and religious establishment.
Although Mojtaba Khamenei has formally succeeded his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader, he did not attend Sunday’s public ceremony. Reuters, citing people familiar with his inner circle, reported that he suffered facial injuries and significant wounds to one or both legs during the attack and has not appeared publicly since assuming office. Iranian authorities have not officially commented on his medical condition.
Sunday’s prayers were also attended by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. State television showed Masoud Khamenei visibly emotional, wiping away tears with a keffiyeh as funeral prayers were recited before the gathered mourners.
Large crowds continued to stream into the religious complex throughout the weekend. According to Iran’s metro authority, approximately seven million passenger journeys were recorded between Saturday evening and Sunday morning as mourners travelled to central Tehran for the ceremonies.
Authorities have organised transport, accommodation and meals in anticipation of millions more participants over the coming days.
Following a major procession in Tehran on Monday, Khamenei’s remains are scheduled to be taken to the holy city of Qom before travelling to the Shi’ite shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq.
The body will then return to Iran for a final procession in Mashhad, where the former Supreme Leader will be buried near the shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shi’a Islam’s most revered figures.
The funeral comes after a ceasefire brought an end to four months of hostilities between Iran and Israel under an agreement brokered with the United States.
Iranian officials have portrayed the truce as a strategic victory, while U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios that planned peace negotiations had been delayed for a week to allow Iran to complete the state funeral ceremonies.
The succession of Mojtaba Khamenei and the elaborate funeral arrangements underscore the central role of the Supreme Leader in Iran’s political and religious system.