Tehran: Millions of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday to participate in funeral prayers for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the late Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, and several members of his family, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
The funeral prayers were held at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla and were led by senior cleric Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani. The ceremony marked the latest in a series of memorial events following the deaths of Ayatollah Khamenei and members of his family in what Iranian authorities describe as an airstrike carried out during the recent conflict involving the United States and Israel.
The prayers were conducted in three stages. The first was offered for Ayatollah Khamenei, while the second was held for his daughter Seyyedeh Boshra Khamenei, his son-in-law Mesbah al-Hoda Baqeri, and his daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel. The third prayer was offered for his young granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.
Three of Ayatollah Khamenei’s sons—Mostafa, Masoud and Maysam Khamenei—stood in the front row during the prayers, marking their first public appearance since the conflict between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition began on February 28, IRNA reported.
Senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also attended the ceremony alongside other political, military and religious leaders.
Iranian authorities have said that Ayatollah Khamenei and several members of his family were killed in an airstrike targeting his office and residence in Tehran on the opening day of the conflict. The United States and Israel have not independently confirmed or publicly commented on the specific claims cited by Iranian state media.
According to IRNA, memorial services for the late Leader and his family were held in Tehran on Friday and were attended by senior officials and delegations from dozens of countries. A public farewell ceremony began on Saturday at Imam Khomeini Mosalla and continued through Sunday.
The funeral procession in Tehran is scheduled to take place on Monday, followed by another procession in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday.
Additional farewell ceremonies will be held on Wednesday in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, before Ayatollah Khamenei is laid to rest on Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, northeastern Iran.
The ceremonies come amid heightened regional tensions following the recent conflict, with Iran continuing to describe the deaths of Ayatollah Khamenei and his family as the result of what it calls a “US-Israeli aggression.” These claims remain those of the Iranian authorities and have not been independently verified.