Tens of thousands of mourners packed the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran on Sunday, July 5, 2026, for the funeral of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family. The event drew a massive crowd in the Iranian capital, with funeral prayers and emotional chants for revenge echoing across the mosque grounds. Official funeral proceedings had begun on Friday, with ceremonies scheduled to continue across Iran and even in neighboring Iraq over the coming week.
New Supreme Leader’s Absence Raises Questions
Despite the overwhelming turnout and the presence of key Iranian figures, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, one figure was conspicuously missing: Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. The younger Khamenei, son of the late supreme leader, has not appeared in public since the February 28 attack that killed his father at the outset of the US-Israel war with Iran. Reports suggest he may have been injured in the same strikes that targeted the Khamenei family compound. For now, he is believed to be sheltering in a bunker, with access to and communication from him remaining extremely limited.
A Nation Mourns—and Waits
The absence of Mojtaba Khamenei at such a critical moment has fueled speculation about both his health and the future direction of Iran’s leadership. At Sunday’s funeral, images of the new supreme leader circulated among mourners, including one particularly striking photo of a young boy holding a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei brandishing a machine gun. Still, the man himself was nowhere to be seen, even as the crowd—described as numbering in the tens of thousands—gathered to pay their respects and demand retribution.
Iran’s leaders emphasized unity during the ceremonies after a period of tense internal divisions, with senior officials having previously clashed over negotiations with the United States. The funeral procession, expected to draw millions throughout the week, serves as both a public display of national solidarity and a stark reminder of the uncertainty surrounding Iran’s new leadership. As the nation mourns, the world watches closely to see what path Iran’s new supreme leader will take—once he finally emerges from the shadows.
