22 Asar, Kathmandu. Speculations have started after the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, son Mojtaba Khamenei absent, was absent from the memorial service before his father's funeral.
At the mourning meeting held on Sunday, Ali Khamenei's other three sons – Masoud, Mostafa, and Meisam – were present. The event also saw the presence of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Ahmad Vahidi, and other high-ranking government officials.
But after the successor son Mojtaba Khamenei was absent from his father's memorial service, various speculations about his health condition continue. He has not been seen publicly since he was appointed to the responsibility of Supreme Leader in early March.
There are also rumors that he might have been injured in the same US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father.
Ali Khamenei had ruled as Iran's Supreme Leader from 1989 until his death in the last week of February.
Speculations about the reason for absence
Iran has not given any official explanation about Mojtaba Khamenei's absence. However, international media have cited security risks and the possibility of him being injured in the attack as major reasons.
Online outlets including Reuters, Al Jazeera, and Financial Times have said that security is the main reason for Mojtaba's absence. According to these reports, security agencies may have prevented him from participating in public events due to the risk that Israel could also target him.
Reuters, based on various sources, has reported that Mojtaba may have suffered facial and leg injuries and may be seriously injured in the US-Israeli attack.
EuroNews said that some analysts view his disappearance from any public events since his appointment as Supreme Leader as linked to the sensitive situation of security and power transition.
'The biggest funeral of the century'
His formal funeral began on Friday. Memorial events will be organized in various locations in Iran and Iraq for the next week.
According to Iranian officials, an estimated 12 to 20 million people are expected to participate in the funeral. The Iranian government has described it as 'the biggest funeral of the century'.
Khamenei's body is currently placed at the Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran. There, 97-year-old senior Shia cleric Jafar Sobhani conducted the final prayers. He is a distinguished scholar teaching at a religious seminary in Qom.
Sunday was a public holiday across Iran. The body was brought out of the Grand Mosalla that evening, and a massive funeral procession is scheduled in Tehran on Monday.
All funeral events are proceeding as scheduled with tight security arrangements. However, Mojtaba Khamenei's absence is seen as significant amid suspicions that Israel could also attack him.
Donald Trump's threatening remarks
The ceasefire between Iran and Israel is currently in place. Although talks for a permanent peace agreement continue, both sides have warned they could resume military action if necessary.
According to news website Axios, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that peace talks were suspended for a week due to the funeral events.
According to that report, Trump commented that since most of Iran's top officials were gathered together at the funeral, 'they could be wiped out in one strike.' But he also said he would not do so because 'there would be no one left to negotiate with.'
Trump also reacted that he was surprised to see Iranian citizens crying for Khamenei. 'I thought people hated him. Maybe those are fake tears,' Trump said.
Iranian people's anger against Trump, America, and Israel
In response to Trump's remarks, 50-year-old mourner Zahra Safai told Reuters, 'We did not revolt 47 years ago to shed fake tears. The sacrifices of all these martyrs are also not for false mourning.'
According to Associated Press (AP) and The Guardian, some participants at the funeral chanted slogans against US President Trump. Poet Mohammad Rasouli, reciting a poem before prayers, said 'Killing Trump is our responsibility.'
During his speech, slogans of 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' were also raised.
In Tehran, some protesters were also seen carrying banners reading 'We will take revenge.'
With more than 10 million people expected to participate in the funeral in Tehran alone, security arrangements have been very tight. State media have been warned about the risk of accidents due to the crowd.
According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, more than 4,000 people received medical treatment at the Grand Mosalla complex and nearby health centers on Sunday. However, international news agencies have reported no casualties.
Pictures from the funeral site show water sprinklers being used to protect mourners from the heat, and health workers carrying an elderly woman on a stretcher.
Funeral will be held in his birthplace Mashhad on Thursday
Khamenei's coffin has been placed alongside the coffins of four of his relatives killed in the attack in Tehran. Among them is his one-year-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.
During his entire rule, Ali Khamenei adopted a policy of confrontation with Western countries. He had long supported anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
After the funeral procession in Tehran on Monday, the body will be taken to Qom on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, a memorial event will be held at an important Shia religious site in Iraq. Finally, on Thursday, the funeral will be held in his birthplace Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
