Funeral rites for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s deceased supreme leader, have commenced. The weeklong observance spans five cities and two countries, attracting millions of mourners and various international dignitaries.
Questions persist regarding whether his son and designated successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will participate in the ceremonies. Since his appointment in March, he has remained out of the public eye and has not made any audio appearances, largely due to heightened security protocols.
During a press conference last week, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, head of the funeral planning committee, stated that he does not have the authority or information to confirm the supreme leader’s attendance. He noted that any official plans would be managed and communicated directly by the leader’s office.
Mr. Khamenei has reportedly been staying in a secure bunker, with strictly controlled communication and access. It is believed he may have sustained injuries during the initial strikes on the family compound by Israel and the United States on February 28, which also resulted in his father’s death.
He was notably absent from Wednesday night’s memorial service in Tehran for his wife, Zahra Hadad-Adel. Ms. Hadad-Adel, along with their teenage son and other relatives, was also killed in the air strikes.
While many followers anticipated seeing him during the funeral proceedings, security concerns have dictated a different course of action. According to two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the security team has discouraged his attendance to prevent Israeli intelligence from tracking his movements or attempting another assassination.
“His safety must remain the absolute priority,” said Ehsan Hosseini, a supporter of Mr. Khamenei who planned to attend the Tehran ceremony this Saturday. “Whatever decision his office reaches regarding his attendance will be the correct one.”
In a report from June, Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaght told the Iranian news outlet Ansaf News that security experts had advised the new supreme leader to avoid any form of public exposure, including the release of his voice.
The two officials indicated that the 56-year-old ayatollah expressed a desire to engage in certain aspects of the funeral rites. Specifically, he is reportedly interested in attending the burial ceremony scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad to recite the prayer for the deceased over his father.
In his inaugural public address following his ascension to power in March, Ayatollah Khamenei remarked that he had viewed his father’s body and acknowledged the immense weight of assuming his position.
