Iran’s New Supreme Leader Absent From Khamenei Funeral

Iran’s newly appointed leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was absent from his father’s funeral as three of his brothers prayed beside the slain cleric’s coffin.

Iran began a day-long funeral on July 4 for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after an airstrike killed him and other family members at the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28.

State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam, and ‌Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins.

Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, including taking his remains to Shi’ite religious sites ​in neighboring Iraq.

Authorities unveiled the casket containing his body in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran’s capital.

Mourners wept at the sight, with some chanting: “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!” and “Death to America!”

The casket was displayed along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter.

Mojtaba has not been seen publicly since he was named to the position in mid-March.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a March 4 post on X that whoever is appointed to replace deceased Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “will be an unequivocal target for elimination.”

One mourner, Hananeh Mousavi, 27, attended the funeral alongside her mother.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” she said. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”

Ali Kazemi, who came from the northwestern city of Tabriz, about 330 miles away from Tehran, said, “We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion.”

Iran chose July 4, the 250th anniversary of American independence, to begin the funeral.

U.S. President Donald Trump said during a July 3 speech, “We knocked the hell out of Iran.”

Speaking in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore, the U.S. president added, “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”

Iran’s military command on July 2 warned that oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz must use Tehran’s approved routes or be met with a “powerful response,” raising tensions after the United States and the Iranian regime signed a temporary peace deal.

A day prior, Iranian state-run media reported that a cargo ship ran aground in the strait, a key waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s traded oil, although few details about the incident have been released. Iranian state media said that the ship did not use its approved routes.

The strait emerged as one of the key issues in negotiations to end the war, with the U.S. government saying Iran must reopen the waterway under a memorandum of understanding that ended hostilities and set a 60-day period for talks.

Reuters, The Associated Press, Victoria Friedman, and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.