Mojtaba Khamenei absent as Iran marks Ali Khamenei funeral prayers

Grand Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani led funeral prayers in Tehran on Saturday for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s top officials gathered in Tehran on Saturday for the prayers, while Mojtaba Khamenei remained absent.

The rites will unfold in three stages, beginning with Ali Khamenei and then continuing for relatives killed in the same strike, including his daughter, his daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel and his 14-month-old granddaughter. Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader shortly after his father’s death, has not been seen in public since he was injured in the February 28, 2026 strike. No known audio or video recordings of him have surfaced in the months since. In Iran, tradition suggests the successor should lead funeral prayers for the predecessor.

President Masud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior officers from the Quds Force all attended the prayers. Ali Khamenei’s sons, Mostafa, Masud and Meysam, stood beside their father’s coffin, even though they had stayed out of public view since the war began.

Mourners called for revenge against the United States and Israel, while Donald Trump said on July 3 that Washington had given Tehran “a week off” for the funeral proceedings before indirect negotiations resume on implementing a framework peace agreement. Iranian officials called Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries light, while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was wounded and likely disfigured, and U.S. officials questioned whether he could govern. Funeral and mourning ceremonies are set to continue for six days across cities in Iran and Iraq, with burial planned for July 9 in Mashhad, the late leader’s hometown.