- Three sons of Iran's slain leader Khamenei appeared at his funeral, but not his successor.
Crowds gathered in Tehran on Sunday to pay their respects at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where his three sons, Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud, were seen praying beside their father's coffin.1
However, the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son who succeeded him as supreme leader, left many mourners disappointed. One mourner expressed her hope to see Mojtaba, stating, 'Until the last moment, before the prayer began, I kept telling those around me that I hoped (Mojtaba Khamenei) himself would come. That was our only wish.'
The funeral took place at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a significant religious complex in Tehran, where the Khamenei brothers prayed behind the coffins of their father and four other family members.
Masoud Khamenei was visibly emotional, crying and wiping his tears with a keffiyeh, a symbol of revolutionary ideals in Iran, as an imam recited funeral prayers.
The absence of Mojtaba Khamenei is particularly notable as he is believed to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and other family members on February 28, during a bombing of Iranian targets by Israel and the U.S.
The public has yet to see or hear from Mojtaba since the incident, raising questions about the future leadership of Iran and the implications of his absence during such a pivotal moment.
“A disappointed mourner told Tasnim news agency she had hoped to see Mojtaba Khamenei at the funeral, saying she kept expecting him until the last moment. The young woman, wearing makeup and sunglasses, expressed disappointment that the new supreme leader did not appear.”
CNBC
