Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will most likely not attend the funeral of his father, the late Ali Khamenei, due to security concerns, according to Iran's representative to India, Ayatollah Dr. Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi. He told Indian television that Khamenei wishes to lead the funeral prayers but security officials warned it would be too dangerous.
Iran's representative to India, Ayatollah Dr. Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi, told Indian television on Thursday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will most likely not attend the funeral of his father, the late Ali Khamenei, due to security concerns. Elahi said Khamenei wishes to lead the funeral prayers but security officials warned it would be too dangerous. This marks the first on-record official attribution of a reason for the anticipated absence.
Thursday's account builds on earlier reports in the thread. At 12:47 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported from a single source that Khamenei did not attend his wife's farewell ceremony and burial. At 18:29 Jerusalem, security commentator Yair Goldblatt reported that Khamenei would not attend the funeral, though without specifying a reason. The version now published at 18:29 Jerusalem presents Elahi's explanation as the primary development.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, the funeral for Ali Khamenei is expected to draw millions. On Jun 10, Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref stated that neighboring countries have requested to send over one million mourners, though Iran's capacity cannot accommodate all requests. The regime has also planned an international leg in Iraq's Shiite holy cities, as state TV announced Jun 22.
The security rationale provided by the representative to India has not yet been corroborated by other official Iranian sources or state media. Questions about Khamenei's public presence persist; as The Zioneer noted on Jun 25, an OSINT analysis raised questions about his whereabouts and who is effectively running Iran.
3 developments
- StrongIranian economic activist claims Mojtaba Khamenei will attend father's funeral
- DevelopingIranian channel reports Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend wife's funeral and burial
- DevelopingIran deputy says neighbors want to send over 1 million mourners to Khamenei funeral
- StrongIran's judiciary chief vows revenge for Khamenei's death, calls for massive funeral
Source and signal
- Internal intake