Mojtaba Khamenei absence, Iran funeral of the century, Ali Khamenei death, Tehran Grand Mosalla, US‑Israel air strikes

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was notably absent from his father’s funeral on Sunday, even as senior regime figures and thousands of mourners gathered to honour the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ali Khamenei’s other sons Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam attended the ceremony alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi. But Mojtaba’s continued disappearance from public view has intensified speculation, especially amid persistent rumours that he was injured in the same US‑Israel air strikes that killed his father in February.

Official funeral events began Friday and will span Iran and Iraq over the coming week, with authorities predicting 12–20 million attendees a turnout they are calling the “funeral of the century.” Khamenei’s body currently lies in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, where prominent Shia cleric Jafar Sobhani, 97, led prayers. Sunday was declared a national holiday, and the body will be moved for a procession through Tehran on Monday.

The ceremonies have been meticulously choreographed, and Mojtaba’s absence looms large against fears that Israel may attempt to assassinate him. A fragile ceasefire between the two countries remains in place as negotiations continue, though both sides warn they are prepared to resume military action.

US President Donald Trump told Axios that peace talks had paused for a week due to the funeral. He also suggested Washington could eliminate Iran’s senior leadership “with one shot” while they were gathered but added the US would not do so because “then we would have nobody to negotiate with.” Trump further remarked that he was surprised to see Iranians crying for Khamenei, saying he believed the public hated him. “Maybe it’s fake tears,” he said.

Mourners rejected that claim. “We did not make a revolution 47 years ago to shed fake tears,” said Zahra Safaei, 50, speaking to Reuters. “We did not sacrifice all these martyrs to shed fake tears.”

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