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Iran’s supreme leader was absent as senior officials attend ayatollah’s funeral on Sunday, with Mojtaba Khamenei not appearing at ceremonies for his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei even as the president’s office confirmed Masoud Pezeshkian joined the gathering at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla mosque. The late leader’s other sons Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam were present alongside Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi, according to a report from BBC News. Speculation about the new supreme leader’s condition has persisted since his March appointment, as he has avoided all public events following the February strikes that killed his father.
Iranian authorities project 12 million to 20 million attendees across the multi-day events in Iran and Iraq, a total that would exceed the roughly 10 million mourners at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 funeral.[[1]](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/3/irans-khamenei-funeral-which-world-leaders-are-attending) The proceedings, which began Friday with the body lying in state and prayers led by Shia cleric Jafar Sobhani, turned Sunday into a national public holiday to accommodate crowds. Organizers have scheduled a major procession through the capital for Monday before moving the coffin to Qom Tuesday, then to Iraqi Shia sites Wednesday and burial in Mashhad on Thursday.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed the supreme leader position at age 56 after his father’s death, had been identified years earlier as a potential successor due to his hard-line stance and ties to conservative clerical circles. A Reuters review of his background noted that the Mashhad-born cleric has never held formal government posts and has rarely appeared in public, limiting available photographs and avoiding any recorded speeches. The same assessment found that his influence had long been exercised behind the scenes as a gatekeeper within the establishment.
U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted by Axios as stating that peace talks were paused for the funeral week and that officials could theoretically be targeted in “one shot” but that Washington would refrain to keep negotiation partners available. Trump added that he was surprised by images of Iranians crying, suggesting the displays might involve “fake tears.” Mourner Zahra Safaei, 50, told Reuters, “We did not make a revolution 47 years ago to shed fake tears. We did not sacrifice all these martyrs to shed fake tears.”
Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” rang out alongside calls for the deaths of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Guardian reported from the scene. Poet Mohammad Rasouli recited lines declaring “Trump’s murder is our responsibility” during a pre-prayer event that drew similar anti-U.S. slogans. State media said more than 4,000 people visited medical stations set up near the venue amid mid-30s Celsius heat, with no deaths recorded despite crowd management concerns.
Throughout his rule from 1989 until February 2026, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backed regional armed factions opposing the United States and Israel, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, according to summaries from multiple international outlets. His death occurred during direct conflict that delayed the funeral until July and also claimed relatives whose coffins were placed alongside his. Delegations from more than 100 countries are expected at the events, which authorities have described as a display of national resilience, Al Jazeera English reported.
