Mojtaba Khamenei Absent As Iranian Leaders Attend Prayers For Late Supreme Leader

Iranian political and military leaders joined thousands of mourners in Tehran on Sunday for the second day of funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while the absence of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, drew attention as the country continued official mourning. The funeral prayers were held at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, where the late leader's casket lay in state before being prepared for public processions through the capital. The ceremony was led by prominent Shia cleric Ja'far Sobhani, a 97-year-old scholar who teaches at seminaries in the holy city of Qom.

Sunday was declared a public holiday across Iran to allow citizens to participate in the mourning ceremonies. Among those attending the prayers were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Ahmad Vahidi, alongside other senior officials and large crowds of mourners who gathered to pay their final respects. Many attendees carried Iranian flags and portraits of the late supreme leader, while volunteers distributed refreshments as temperatures in Tehran were forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius.

Notably absent from the ceremony was Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran's supreme leader following his appointment in early March. According to reports, Mojtaba has not appeared in public since assuming the role and is believed to have been wounded in the attack that killed his father. Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on his absence from Sunday's funeral prayers.

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In contrast, the late supreme leader's three other sons—Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam Khamenei—were present at the service and were seen standing near their father's casket during the prayers. Their attendance formed part of the official family representation at the state funeral, which has drawn widespread participation from Iran's political leadership and the public.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1989 until his death at the age of 86 in an airstrike on the opening day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. His death marked the end of more than three decades as the country's highest political and religious authority, overseeing major domestic developments and shaping Iran's foreign and security policies.

Following Sunday's prayers, officials planned to move Khamenei's body from the Grand Mosalla as preparations continued for funeral processions through Tehran on Monday. Authorities deployed extensive security and logistical arrangements to manage the large crowds expected to participate in the final public farewell, with mourning ceremonies continuing across the country as Iran pays tribute to its longtime supreme leader.

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