Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC commander, is continuing his tours across Tehran today ahead of the start of the funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which are set to begin Friday, according to reports from Iran.
IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi was continuing his visible tours of Tehran on Thursday evening, according to Iranian reports, as the regime prepares to begin the multi-day funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday. The tours follow his first public appearance in months earlier in the day, when he attended a high-level meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to coordinate funeral arrangements.
The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday (15:04 Jerusalem) that Vahidi had emerged from his bunker and appeared in public for the first time since the US-Israel Operation Roaring Lion strike in February. The initial report, based on an unverified Telegram post, described a meeting of senior officials. By the same time, subsequent updates confirmed that Vahidi was quoted saying "the job is not finished" and that the meeting was specifically focused on funeral preparations. The story was further corroborated by The Zioneer's article at 15:42 Jerusalem, which detailed the meeting.
As The Zioneer has reported, Iran's interior ministry assigned the IRGC responsibility for the funeral arrangements on June 18. On June 22, the IRGC chief of staff stated that the burial site for Khamenei and his family is being prepared at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini. The burial is scheduled for July 9 in Mashhad, following a multi-city procession that also includes an international leg in Iraq on July 8–9, as announced by the Tehran mayor.
It remains unclear whether Vahidi's continued public tours signal a sustained return to a visible leadership role or are limited to the funeral logistics. The exact funeral itinerary, beyond the Friday start, has been subject to conflicting reports from Iranian sources.
5 developments
- StrongIRGC chief of staff says Khamenei burial site being prepared at Khomeini mausoleum
- StrongTehran mayor says Khamenei funeral ceremonies to take place in Iraq on July 8–9
- StrongIranian media: Khamenei funeral ceremony to be held in Qom on Tuesday
- StrongIRGC Commander Leaves Bunker for Senior Meeting Ahead of Khamenei Funeral, First Time Since Operation Roaring Lion
Source and signal
- Internal intake