Tehran, 05 July (H.S.):
Funeral rites for Iran's Supreme Leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 this year during a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation, are underway. Millions of mourners attended the prayer ceremony on Sunday. While Khamenei's three sons—Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam—were present, his designated successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was notably absent. Global attention remains focused on whether Mojtaba will make a public appearance during the funeral ceremonies.
According to reports by Arab News, Al Jazeera, Gulf News and CNN, Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Ahmad Vahidi arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Monday and joined mourners in prayers on the second day of the funeral ceremonies. There had been speculation that Mojtaba Khamenei might also appear alongside Vahidi, but he did not attend. Iran observed a public holiday on Sunday, and a funeral procession was held in Tehran. Ayatollah Khamenei's body has been placed for public viewing.
Reports suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the February 28 attack. Since being named the designated Supreme Leader, he has not appeared in public. Khamenei's coffin will be taken to Qom on Tuesday and then to neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday. He is scheduled to be buried on Thursday in his northeastern hometown of Mashhad. Speculation continues that Mojtaba may make his first public appearance during the burial ceremony in Mashhad.
Sunday's prayer service at the Grand Mosalla Complex in Tehran was led by prominent Shia cleric Jafar Sobhani. The 97-year-old scholar teaches at the religious seminaries in the holy city of Qom. Draped in the Iranian national flag and covered with a black turban, Khamenei's coffin was placed alongside the coffins of four of his relatives who were also killed in the February attacks.
According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the Ministry of Health expects nearly 15 million people to participate in the funeral ceremonies. The ministry said temporary hospitals have been established near Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where the coffins of Khamenei and several members of his family have been placed.
The ministry added that preparations for the funeral ceremonies have also begun in Qom and Mashhad. Born in Mashhad in 1939, Khamenei became a Shia cleric at a young age and participated in protests against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, for which he was imprisoned. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that left his right arm permanently disabled.
Shortly afterward, he was elected President of Iran. Khamenei maintained a consistently hardline stance toward the United States and was a close associate of Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the movement that overthrew the Shah and established the Islamic Republic. Following Khomeini's death in 1989, Khamenei succeeded him as Iran's Supreme Leader within weeks.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
