TEHRAN — Three sons of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s slain supreme leader, gathered beside their father’s coffin during funeral ceremonies on Sunday, though his successor — another son — was nowhere to be seen.
Iranian state television broadcast footage of Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei standing in prayer behind a row of coffins arranged in the open courtyard of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a large religious complex in the capital.
Notably absent was Mojtaba Khamenei, who has assumed the role of supreme leader following his father’s death. No public images or appearances of Mojtaba have emerged since the February 28 attack in which Israel and the United States bombed Iranian targets at the start of the war, killing his father along with other family members.
Sources close to Mojtaba’s inner circle told Reuters that his face was disfigured in the attack and that he sustained a serious injury to one or both of his legs.
Also attending Sunday’s ceremonies were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, both of whom prayed behind the coffins. Masoud Khamenei was visibly emotional, wiping away tears with a keffiyeh — the chequered scarf that carries symbolic meaning in Iran as a sign of revolutionary commitment and solidarity with Palestinians — while an imam led the funeral prayers.
Khamenei’s coffin was placed on public display outdoors under glass on Saturday, alongside the coffins of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter, following a day of indoor viewing for senior Iranian officials and foreign dignitaries.
Massive crowds have gathered at the Mosalla, with many mourners weeping and some beating their chests in a traditional display of grief. The Iranian metro system reported recording 7 million trips from late Saturday through Sunday morning as people made their way to the site.
The Islamic Republic has organized an extensive week of funeral processions to honor Khamenei. Following a large procession planned for central Tehran on Monday, his remains will travel to the seminary city of Qom for ceremonies on Tuesday. From there, the body will be flown to Iraq for observances at the Shi’ite holy shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday, before returning to Iran on Thursday for a final procession in Mashhad, where he will be buried near the tomb of a medieval Shi’ite imam.
Iranian authorities have pledged to provide transportation, food, and lodging to help bring millions of people out for the upcoming processions.
A ceasefire has halted the four-month conflict under a deal with Washington that Iranian authorities say will deliver significant economic gains — which they characterize as a victory over a superpower. U.S. President Donald Trump told the Axios news website that peace negotiations had been paused for one week in light of the funeral proceedings.
