Three Khamenei sons lead funeral prayers as millions continue nationwide mourning
Senior Iranian leaders join public funeral as Mojtaba Khamenei remains absent while week-long ceremonies continue across Iran and Iraq
TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Three sons of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared publicly during funeral prayers in Tehran on Sunday, standing beside the coffins of their father and four other family members, while his successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent from the ceremony.
State television broadcast images of Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where tens of thousands of mourners gathered for one of the largest public events since Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.
The coffins of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter, who were also killed in the attack, were placed alongside his during the prayers.
The ceremony brought together Iran’s top political leadership, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and senior military officials, alongside religious scholars, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ordinary citizens.
Masoud Khamenei was seen weeping during the funeral prayers, wiping away tears with a keffiyeh, a symbol closely associated with solidarity with the Palestinian cause, as clerics led the congregation in prayer.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader following the assassination, did not appear publicly.
Iranian authorities have offered no official explanation for his absence, although previous reports suggested he was injured during the strike that killed his father and several family members.
Large crowds continued to arrive throughout the day, prompting organizers to extend the farewell ceremony until 10 p.m. local time because of the number of mourners.
Iran’s metro authority reported millions of passenger journeys as people traveled to central Tehran to attend the funeral.
Many mourners carried Iranian and Palestinian flags while chanting slogans condemning the United States and Israel and pledging loyalty to the Islamic Republic.
The funeral forms part of a week-long series of ceremonies that began in Tehran and will continue with processions in Qom, followed by commemorations in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala before Khamenei is buried near the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad later this week.
Iranian authorities have mobilized nationwide transportation, accommodation and public services to facilitate what officials expect will be one of the largest funeral commemorations in the country’s modern history.
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