Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was notably missing from Sunday's funeral service for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fuelling ongoing speculation about his physical condition.
Whilst three of the late ayatollah's other sons—Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud—were present at the ceremony in Tehran, the younger Khamenei has remained entirely out of public view since his appointment to the position in early March.
He is thought to have sustained wounds during the same joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28 that claimed his father's life.
Iranian authorities have provided no explanation for his continued absence from public ceremonies, as the country conducts what officials are describing as the "funeral of the century" for the former supreme leader who governed the Islamic republic for nearly four decades.
The funeral service at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex drew substantially larger crowds on Sunday compared to the previous day's ceremonies, with mourners dressed in black gathering throughout the capital.
State television coverage showed the coffins of the late ayatollah and four family members—including his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter—displayed before the assembled mourners.
President Masoud Pezeshkian joined the prayers alongside Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi.
The funeral service was conducted by Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old scholar from Qom's seminaries.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking power | REUTERSIranian officials anticipate between 12 and 20 million participants across the week-long funeral events, with the Tehran Metro recording approximately seven million passenger journeys overnight as crowds travelled to the capital.
During the ceremony, poet Mohammad Rasouli declared killing President Donald Trump was a duty and asked those gathered why America's leader remained alive.
"Why shouldn't we kill the one who killed my Imam and my Leader?" Rasouli stated, according to reports. "It is a disgrace for us if we do not kill your killer."
His statements prompted applause and widespread chanting of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" from the crowd.
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Iranian officials anticipate between 12 and 20 million participants across the week-long funeral events
|REUTERS
Banners and placards visible at the ceremony called for the deaths of both Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Red flags symbolising vengeance were raised above the Mosalla's dome and carried by numerous attendees, invoking retribution for the attack.
Speaking from Mount Rushmore on Saturday evening as America marked its 250th anniversary, Mr Trump claimed the United States had "knocked the hell out of Iran" and suggested Tehran was eager to reach a settlement.
The President told reporters he had permitted a week-long pause in hostilities "because we're nice", allowing the funeral proceedings to take place.
In remarks to Axios, Mr Trump acknowledged monitoring the funeral ceremonies and noted that senior Iranian figures were gathered together, though he said Washington would not strike because "then we would have nobody to negotiate with".
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding a permanent end to the conflict have been suspended until the funeral events conclude, with Iran reportedly attempting to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz in the discussions.