Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to break cover for first time | World | News
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is set to break cover for the first time since the start of the US-Iran war at a major event watched by millions around the world. A memorial ceremony for his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is due to be held on Friday evening in the holy city of Qom.
The event is expected to mark Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public appearance since the conflict erupted in February, following months in which he has remained out of public view during the fighting. According to a notice published by a local Iranian news outlet and shared via a public Telegram channel, the ceremony will take place after the Maghrib and Isha prayers at the Shrine of Lady Masoumeh. The notice says the memorial is being held on behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei and will feature a speech by Hojjat al-Islam wal Muslimeen Seyyed Ali Khomeini. Mojtaba Khamenei has issued written statements since succeeding his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader.
No image, video or audio recording of the cleric has been released however since the conflict began, with senior sources in Tehran saying he suffered serious injuries in the strike and has remained out of public view while recovering.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s expected appearance comes after a week of funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq following the death of Ali Khamenei.
His remains had already been carried through Tehran, Qom and the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala before Thursday’s burial at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest shrine.
Mourners in Mashhad waved Iranian flags and pictures of Ali Khamenei as his coffin was carried through crowds near the Shrine of Imam Reza.
Mourners chanted: “I swear by the blood of the Supreme Leader, Trump, we will kill you!”, while women in the crowd held placards reading “Kill Trump”.
During earlier funeral ceremonies in Tehran, poet Mohammad Rasouli drew cheers from mourners after asking: “Why is the most b***ard man in the world still alive?” in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump.
Ali Khamenei was killed aged 86 on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in the opening hours of the conflict.
The strike also killed several members of Khamenei’s family, while his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly seriously injured.
Senior sources in Tehran said he remains in recovery and has not yet been well enough to return to public appearances.
They said state security services are also limiting his exposure because of the risk of further US attacks.
His death brought to an end nearly four decades as Iran’s Supreme Leader, a position he had held since 1989.
