Three sons of Iran's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attended funeral prayers in Tehran on Sunday, while his successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent from public view.
The Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying beside the coffins of their father and four other family members at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also joined the prayers.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran's supreme leader after the Feb. 28 Israeli and U.S. strikes, has not been seen publicly since the attack. Reuters had earlier reported, citing people close to his inner circle, that he suffered severe facial injuries and significant wounds to one or both legs.
ALSO READ | Sea of Mourners Floods Tehran On First Day Of Late Supreme Leader Khamenei's State Funeral
Iran has launched a week-long series of funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, portraying them as a demonstration of public support for the Islamic Republic. After lying in state for senior officials and foreign dignitaries, Khamenei's coffin was placed on public display alongside those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
Millions gathered through the night at the Mosalla, with many mourners weeping and beating their chests during the prayers. Iran's metro network said it recorded about 7 million trips from late Saturday to Sunday morning as people travelled to the capital's centre.
The funeral procession will continue in Tehran on Monday before moving to Qom on Tuesday. The remains will then be taken to the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday before returning to Mashhad for burial on Thursday.
The ceremonies come during a ceasefire that has paused the four-month conflict between Iran, Israel and the U.S. According to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios that peace talks had been paused for a week to accommodate the funeral events.
Revolutionary Guard chief Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi was also among the senior Iranian officials attending funeral prayers for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
ALSO READ | Next Round Of US-Iran Talks To Be Held At Islamabad On July 11: Report
Videos shared by Iran's Fars News Agency showed Vahidi seated in the front row, with several mourners stopping to take photographs with him.
Vahidi took over after Mohammad Pakpour, who had been appointed IRGC chief following the death of Hossein Salami in 2025, was killed during the opening phase of the U.S.-Israel conflict on Feb. 28.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.