Three Khamenei sons appear at funeral; successor stays hidden

Millions of mourners packed Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on Sunday as the state funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered its second day of public ceremonies, with three of his sons appearing beside his coffin while his successor remained absent from view.

Iranian state television showed Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins in the vast courtyard of the prayer complex, marking their first public appearance since the February 28 U.S.-Israeli airstrike that killed their father. Notably absent was their brother Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, who has not been seen publicly since his appointment in March.nytimes+3

A New Leader in the Shadows

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was appointed supreme leader by Iran's Assembly of Experts days after his father's assassination, but security fears have kept him entirely out of public view. According to The New York Times, citing members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, his security team has barred him from attending any portion of the funeral over fears that Israel could track his movements and attempt to assassinate him.timesofisrael+3

The younger Khamenei reportedly expressed a desire to attend at least the burial ceremony, scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, and to offer the funeral prayer for his father. His continued absence has fueled conservative infighting within Iran's political establishment.nytimes+1

Scale of the Ceremonies

The six-day funeral program began on July 3 with a reception for foreign dignitaries, followed by public ceremonies that started July 4. Representatives from more than 100 countries are attending, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. The procession is scheduled to move through Qom on July 6 and 7, then to the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala on July 8, before the burial in Mashhad on July 9.aljazeera+2

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani has said attendance could reach 20 million people across the ceremonies, which would make it the largest public gathering in the city's history. Analysts say the scale of the event is designed to project stability. "The government aims to convey to its local audience that the state is functioning, the leadership is cohesive, and it's business as usual — albeit with new leaders," said Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, in an interview with CNN.cnbc+1

Khamenei, 86, was killed alongside more than a dozen senior military officials in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on his Tehran compound on February 28, the opening day of the war against Iran.wikipedia+2