Iran's New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Absent from Father's Mass Funeral as Brothers Lead Mourning

Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was entirely absent from his father's mass state funeral in Tehran, while his three brothers made a rare joint public appearance to pray over the coffins.

The multi-day state funeral for Ali Khamenei follows his assassination in February 2026 during joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes. The ceremonies are being held at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla complex, with processions expected to continue to the holy cities of Qom, Najaf, and Karbala, before a final burial in Mashhad. Crowds are expected to reach over 10 million people.