Three sons of the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed next to his coffin Sunday, but the son who was announced as his successor, Mojtaba, was absent.
Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike at the start of the Israel-U.S. war against Iran. He and other senior leaders of the Islamic theocracy were killed. Mojtaba, who was reportedly wounded in the strike too, was announced as his successor.
Reuters reported that Mojtaba was not seen at the service, but that Iranian state TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind coffins in the courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.
Aalthough Mojtaba was appointed to replace his father in March, he has not been seen in public ever since.
Citing sources in Iran, Reuters reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was disfigured and he might have suffered a significant leg injury in the strike.
Ali Khamenei ruled Iran from 1989 until his death in February. Authorities in Iran claim that 12 to 20 million people will attend the "funeral of the century."
A little over a month before he died, Khamenei oversaw the brutal crackdown by Iranian authorities against protesters who took to the streets over economic conditions in Iran. The crackdown occurred on January 8 and January 9 after Iran had shut down internet access. TIME reported that some estimates placed the death toll at more than 30,000 civilians.
In 2022, protests also swept Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested and died in custody after being arrested for improperly wearing a hijab. Those protests also ended in violence, with Khamenei's forces killing at least 550 people, according to the United Nations; France 24 reported.
The strike that killed Khamenei and the other senior leaders and marked the beginning of what would be a four-month-long war. Iran and the U.S. recently agreed to a 60-day ceasefire while peace talks continue.
Among those praying at the Sunday funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Reuters reported. According to the wire service, there were crowds of regime supporters in attendance, many weeping and beating their chests.
