Tehran:
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been in hiding since he was injured in the US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the Iran War, may make a public appearance at the memorial ceremony for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran next week. According to Iranian media, the memorial service for the 86-year-old former Supreme Leader, who was killed with other members of his family on February 28, will be held on “behalf of” his successor.
“A memorial ceremony for the martyred leader will be held on behalf of the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, on July 14, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM Tehran time at Tehran’s Mosalla,” Iran’s IRNA news agency said in a post on X.
The 56-year-old cleric has been noticeably absent during the funeral prayers for his father last week, which were led by three of his brothers during one of the largest mourning ceremonies held since the late leader’s death.
Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before being killed in the US and Israeli airstrikes that started the war. The mega funeral processions were held last week, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace, and daily life in Tehran and other cities as throngs commemorated the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.
Footage aired on Iran’s state television showed Mojtaba’s three brothers, Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei, standing beside the coffins of Ali Khamenei, his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and his 14-month-old granddaughter at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners gathered.
If the new Supreme Leader decides to make an appearance at his father’s memorial this week, it will be his first public appearance since assuming Iran’s highest position after the killing of his father.
