Three sons of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, who has reportedly succeeded his father as Iran's supreme leader, did not appear at the public farewell ceremony in Tehran.
State television footage showed Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei participating in prayers behind the coffins displayed in the courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. The Islamic Republic is observing a week of extensive funeral processions for Khamenei, which are planned to include ceremonies at Shi'ite religious sites in neighboring Iraq.
Khamenei's coffin, along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter, was exhibited outdoors on Saturday under glass, following a day of private viewing for senior Iranian officials and foreign dignitaries. There has been no public sighting or released image of Mojtaba Khamenei, who is said to have sustained injuries during the February 28 airstrikes by Israel and the United States that killed his father and other family members. Sources close to Mojtaba's inner circle indicated to Reuters that his face was disfigured and he suffered significant leg injuries in the attack.
The four-month-old war has been suspended by a ceasefire negotiated with Washington, which Iranian authorities assert will yield substantial economic benefits, characterizing it as a victory over a superpower. U.S. President Donald Trump informed the Axios news website that peace talks were paused for a week to accommodate the funeral events.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also participated in prayers behind the coffins on Sunday. Masoud Khamenei was observed weeping and wiping his eyes with a keffiyeh, a symbol of militant revolutionary ideals and solidarity with Palestinians in Iran, as funeral prayers were recited by an imam. Large crowds of Iranians, many visibly mourning and some beating their chests, thronged the Mosalla, with significant numbers present throughout the night.
Following a major procession planned for central Tehran on Monday, Khamenei's remains will be transported to the seminary city of Qom for ceremonies on Tuesday. Subsequently, his body will be flown to Iraq for events in the Shi'ite holy shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday. The remains are scheduled to return to Iran on Thursday for a final procession in Mashhad, where he will be interred near the tomb of a medieval Shi'ite imam. Authorities intend to mobilize millions of individuals for these large-scale processions, providing transportation, food, and lodging.
