Successor Mojtaba Khamenei absent, injured in same strike
Final preparations were under way Friday for what organizers described as an epic display of national power, resilience and social cohesion. Iran’s first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Aref, who is leading funeral planning, called the ceremony “the most important event of this century” and said it would be the most attended event since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to remarks reported by The Guardian.
The funeral is set to begin Saturday in Tehran and will end with Khamenei’s burial on Thursday in the northeastern city of Mashhad. At the request of Iraqi politicians, Khamenei’s body will also be carried through the Iraqi Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf, the same report said. Large banners bearing Khamenei’s image have already been displayed across Tehran.
Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February. His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, is not expected to appear at the funeral. He was severely injured in the same strike, which also killed his wife and his 14-month-old daughter, according to the same source. The extent of his injuries has not been disclosed. He has issued only written statements since the attack, including one that distanced himself from ceasefire negotiations but sanctioned their continuance.
This week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to kill Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he was “marked for death,” The Guardian reported. Mojtaba Khamenei was formally named Iran’s new supreme leader in early March, as MSI previously reported.