Approximately 9 million or more people participated in the funeral ceremony and prayers for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Sunday, according to an Iranian channel. Three of Khamenei's sons attended, while the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear. The main funeral procession is scheduled for Monday.
Sunday's funeral prayers in Tehran saw an estimated 9 million or more attendees, according to an Iranian channel reporting from the event — a figure that, if accurate, would mark one of the largest gatherings in the funeral period for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The channel noted that three of Khamenei's sons were present, but Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, was absent.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Sunday, the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei from public funeral events has been a recurring pattern: a similar non-appearance was noted during the funeral of his wife earlier in the week, which had fueled speculation about his status. An Iranian representative to India had indicated days earlier that Mojtaba would likely skip the funeral over security concerns.
The main funeral procession is set for Monday, following days of ceremonies that began Friday. The scale of participation remains difficult to independently verify, with earlier estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands by some Arab outlets to tens of millions by Iranian state-linked sources.
2 developments
- DevelopingThe Zioneer's correspondent: 20 million expected from Tehran alone for Khamenei's funeral
- DevelopingArab media estimates 200,000–300,000 attend first day of Khamenei farewell ceremony in Tehran
- DevelopingIran deputy says neighbors want to send over 1 million mourners to Khamenei funeral
- DevelopingHamas delegation attends Khamenei's funeral in Tehran
Source and signal
- Internal intake