Khamenei's Sons Skip Second-Day Funeral Prayers in Tehran
President Pezeshkian attends ceremonies in Tehran; successor Mojtaba Khamenei remains absent
Tehran: Iranian leaders joined thousands of mourners on Sunday for prayers over the casket of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the multi-day state funeral entered its second day in Tehran.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani attended the prayers at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, led by senior Shia cleric Ja'far Sobhani.
However, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Supreme Leader, was notably absent from the ceremony. Reports said he has not appeared in public since assuming office in March and was reportedly injured in the airstrike that killed his father. Khamenei's other sons—Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam—were present.
Authorities declared Sunday a public holiday and said more than 10 million people are expected to participate in the funeral events in Tehran. Tight security arrangements have been put in place, while medical teams were deployed to assist mourners amid high temperatures.
The coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and topped with Khamenei's black turban, was displayed alongside the coffins of four relatives who were also killed in the February airstrikes.
Following ceremonies in Tehran, the funeral procession will move to Qom, then Iraq, before Khamenei is laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad later this week.
