Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen at the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, marking his first public appearance since the outbreak of the war and the New York Times' allegations that he worked for Israel, according to The Zioneer.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday in his first public appearance since the war, with the appearance now also taking place against the backdrop of New York Times allegations that he worked for Israel, The Zioneer reports. The sighting, reported Monday at 10:09 Jerusalem, confirmed earlier desk reports that Ahmadinejad was alive and present at the funeral, after unverified rumors of his death had circulated.
Over the course of Monday's coverage, The Zioneer tracked an evolving picture of Ahmadinejad's attendance: initial reports (Mon 10:09 Jerusalem) cited an unverified Israeli news channel report that he participated in the funeral procession, also noting a claim — unverified — that Israel and the US had planned to install him as head of government during the war. By the same minute, a second version reported that an Iranian outlet had previously said he was absent from earlier ceremonies, while a third version added a report — also unverified — that Israel had planned to install him after Khamenei's assassination. A subsequent version (Mon 10:09 Jerusalem) further noted that his attendance quashed prior unverified death rumors. Throughout the thread, the source of the initial claim remained a single Israeli news channel report cited by N12's Asaf Rozentzweig; no independent Iranian confirmation has been provided.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday (Jul 3, 14:49 Jerusalem), Iran's top three leaders — the president, judiciary chief, and parliament speaker — had attended Khamenei's funeral in a display of regime unity. On Monday (12:09 Jerusalem), unverified reports surfaced that the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also appeared at his father's funeral events. The context of the war and the leadership transition in Iran remains a central backdrop to Ahmadinejad's re-emergence.
The New York Times allegations that Ahmadinejad worked for Israel, first cited in recent weeks, remain unsubstantiated by any independent source. No official comment from Ahmadinejad or the Iranian regime has been issued regarding the claim.
5 developments
- StrongUnverified reports: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared at father's funeral events
- StrongIranian outlet Saberin: Four senior figures absent from Khamenei funeral ceremonies
- DevelopingIran's top three leaders attend Khamenei's funeral, N12 reports
- StrongIRGC chief Vahidi, Iranian FM Araghchi reportedly arrive at Khamenei funeral on motorcycles
Source and signal
- Internal intake