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Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was notably absent from the public funeral of his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday as senior government and military officials joined thousands of mourners in Tehran for one of the largest state funerals in the country’s history.
The absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father following his death in a US-Israeli air strike in February, has fuelled speculation over his condition. Unconfirmed reports have suggested he was wounded in the same attack, and he has not appeared in public since assuming the country’s highest office in early March.
His three brothers, Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam Khamenei, attended the funeral, along with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi, senior clerics and top state officials.
Official mourning ceremonies began on Friday and will continue across Iran and Iraq throughout the week. Iranian authorities estimate that between 12 million and 20 million people will participate in the funeral events, which state media have described as the “funeral of the century.”
Ayatollah Khamenei’s body is lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla Mosque, where prominent Shia cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led funeral prayers. Sunday was declared a public holiday to facilitate public participation.
The coffin is scheduled to be carried through Tehran on Monday before being taken to the holy city of Qom, then to a revered Shia site in Iraq, and finally to Mashhad, where the late leader will be buried on Thursday.
The funeral is taking place amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel following months of conflict. Peace negotiations remain on hold during the mourning period, although both sides have warned they are prepared to resume military operations if talks fail.
US President Donald Trump said negotiations had been paused to allow the funeral to proceed. He also remarked that many senior Iranian officials were gathered in one place but said the United States would not target them because it wanted to preserve prospects for future negotiations.
Trump also questioned the public displays of grief, saying he had expected many Iranians to oppose Khamenei.
His comments drew criticism from mourners attending the funeral.
“We did not make a revolution 47 years ago to shed fake tears,” one mourner said, insisting the crowds reflected genuine public emotion.
The funeral also featured anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, with some participants chanting against the United States and Israel and carrying banners calling for revenge over Khamenei’s death.
Authorities have imposed extensive security measures as millions continue to gather in the capital. Medical teams have been deployed across the city to cope with the massive crowds, with thousands receiving treatment for heat-related illness and exhaustion.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led Iran for more than three decades after assuming power in 1989. During his rule, he oversaw the country’s nuclear programme and strengthened ties with regional groups aligned with Tehran, making him one of the Middle East’s most influential and controversial leaders.