Jakarta, ThedailyID — Iran held the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5, more than three months after his death. Three of his sons attended the ceremony in Tehran.
According to Al Jazeera, citing the Associated Press, Khamenei’s sons—Masoud, Meysam, and Mostafa—joined the funeral prayers for their father. Khamenei was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28.
Video footage broadcast by the Associated Press also showed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Ahmad Vahidi attending the ceremony.
State news agency IRNA reported that Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, one of Iran’s most senior clerics, led the funeral prayers.
The funeral also honored four other family members. They included Khamenei’s wife and the late wife of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend the ceremony. Iranian officials cited security concerns following reported threats from Israel.
Several senior Iranian officials joined the funeral. They included President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani.
Tens of thousands of mourners gathered at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla to pay their final respects. Many wore black clothing and carried Iranian flags and portraits of Ali Khamenei and Mojtaba.
Authorities displayed Khamenei’s coffin in a glass enclosure alongside the coffins of several family members, including his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old grandchild.
Mourners filled the prayer complex throughout the ceremony. Many beat their chests, chanted slogans, and waved Iranian flags despite the summer heat.
The funeral came at a sensitive moment for Iran. The ceremony followed months of conflict and took place after a temporary ceasefire allowed authorities to proceed with the burial.
Under Islamic tradition, burial normally takes place within a day of death. However, Iranian authorities postponed the funeral because of security concerns during the conflict.
