Three of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s sons—Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud—were seen praying beside his coffin during the funeral ceremonies held at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. The event marked a week of public vigils and mass funeral processions organized by the Iranian authorities to honor the late leader and other family members who died alongside him in an attack earlier this year.
The funeral took place in a sprawling religious complex where the coffins of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter were also displayed. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf attended the prayers, highlighting the high-profile nature of the state-led mourning.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran's Supreme Leader, has not appeared publicly during any of the funeral events. People close to him reported that he suffered significant injuries, including facial disfigurement and damage to one or both legs, from the attack that killed his father. That attack involved Israeli and US airstrikes targeting Iranian sites at the outset of the war, which has since been paused under a ceasefire agreement with Washington.
The Islamic Republic is staging these funeral proceedings not only as a tribute but also as a demonstration of revolutionary fervor and public allegiance to the regime. Large crowds gathered at the Mosalla center, many visibly mourning with tears and chest beating, while the metro system recorded millions of trips to the site over the course of the ceremonies.
Following the main public procession planned in central Tehran, the remains of the late Ayatollah Khamenei are expected to be transported to the city of Qom, a major religious seminary hub in Iran, where further ceremonies will take place.