Tehran hosts funeral of former supreme leader; successor absent
Large crowds gathered in Tehran for the funeral of Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes. His son and successor, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was notably absent.
Vast crowds loyal to the Islamic Republic assembled in Tehran on Sunday for the funeral of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes at the start of the war. His second son and successor, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was conspicuously absent from the ceremony. However, the late ayatollah's other three sons – Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam – all attended the service held in the capital.
According to Iranian state media, six days of ceremonies are planned across several locations in Iran and neighboring Iraq, culminating in the burial of the former leader in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday. The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet is reporting from Tehran under the condition that none of her material is used on the BBC Persian Service. These restrictions apply to all international media organizations operating in Iran.
