Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, could make his first public appearance since assuming the country’s highest office during a memorial ceremony for his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scheduled to take place in Tehran next week.
According to Iranian media reports, the commemorative event will honor the former supreme leader, who was reportedly killed alongside several family members in an airstrike on February 28. The ceremony is expected to be held on Tuesday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA announced on social media that the memorial service will be organized on behalf of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and is scheduled to run from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
Speculation over Mojtaba Khamenei’s attendance has intensified after he was absent from the funeral of his father last week. While millions of mourners gathered in Tehran for one of the largest funeral processions in the country’s history, Mojtaba did not appear publicly. His brothers were seen leading funeral prayers alongside other members of the family.
The funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prompted extensive security measures, including road closures and restrictions across parts of Tehran, as large crowds gathered to pay their final respects to the longtime leader, who ruled Iran for nearly four decades.
Since succeeding his father, Mojtaba Khamenei has remained out of public view. Iranian media have reported that he was injured during the early stages of the conflict following an airstrike, although no official details regarding his condition have been released.
If he attends next week’s memorial ceremony, it would mark Mojtaba Khamenei’s first official public appearance since becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader, a closely watched event both inside the country and internationally.:::
