TEHRAN - The three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin at a massive funeral ceremony in Tehran on Sunday. However, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Supreme Leader, did not make an appearance.
State television broadcast images of Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei attending the service at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. Tens of thousands of mourners, including soldiers and ordinary citizens, filed into the complex to pay their respects, waving flags promising revenge.
The elder Khamenei, along with several family members, was killed in an airstrike on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran. The resulting conflict lasted several weeks before a shaky ceasefire was reached.
There has been no public sighting of Mojtaba Khamenei since the attack. Sources told Reuters his face was disfigured and he suffered significant leg injuries in the February 28 strike.
The funeral is part of a week-long series of state processions. The war killed over 3,000 people, including many senior Iranian officials, and caused billions in damage. A recent interim deal has unfrozen billions in Iranian assets and suspended some sanctions.
The remains will be transported to the holy city of Qom, then flown to Iraq for ceremonies in Najaf and Kerbala before a final procession and burial in Mashhad.