At least 43m people attend late Iranian Supreme Leader’s funeral: Iranian media
Anywhere between 41 to 43 million people participated in the six-day funeral ceremony for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iranian media.
Iran’s Press TV called Khamenei’s funeral “the largest procession the world has ever witnessed”. Ceremonies took place across five cities: Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad
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Iran buried Khamenei in Mashhad as US ramps up strikes
Braving sweltering heat and calling for revenge, Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic massed on Thursday for the burial of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad.
An Israeli strike killed Khamenei in late February on the first day of the Middle East war, bringing an end to his more than three and a half decades in power.
Thousands of people filled the streets of the eastern city of Mashhad, home to one of the holiest sites in the Shia strain of Islam that is prevalent in Iran.
With new hostilities breaking out with the United States even after an accord last month to end the war, at least one fighter jet escorted the plane carrying the late Iranian leader’s coffin to Mashhad.
The burial will be the final act in a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies which have allowed people to pay tribute in Tehran, the clerical hub of Qom and also Iraq.
Men wore black shirts while women were clad in black chadors, many waving the red flags that symbolise the search for vengeance in Shia Islam, AFP correspondents said.
“People here all seek revenge,” said Mohammad Afsharian, 41, a shop owner.
“I don’t know what’s the story with diplomacy and what’s the policy to continue diplomacy but all the people are carrying red flags in a sign of seeking revenge,” he said.
– ‘There will be blood’ –
Observers have been watching closely for any signs of Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make any public appearances and was said to have been injured in the same strike that killed his father.
Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini was quoted on state television as saying he “expects 15 million people” to attend Khamenei’s funeral.
Near the mausoleum, many children were present. Many have come with their families, wearing caps in the colours of the Islamic republic.
With temperatures hitting 35C, water sprinklers were used to keep the faithful cool.
At the foot of a hotel called Miami, a giant banner showed a caricature of US President Donald Trump with a bounty on his head.
Another sign showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a message in English: “There will be blood.”
The funeral was originally set to begin on Thursday at 6:00 am (0230 GMT), but local media later cited organisers as saying it would begin at 2:00 pm because ceremonies in Iraq had run late.
Meanwhile the eruption of fighting forced the closure of the rail link between Tehran and Mashhad, a city located some 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the capital, although road transport was being organised for stranded passengers, the state rail company said.
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Burial of Ali Khamene today in Mashad
Janaza Prayer offered in Qom and now next step is najaf and karbala
Earlier
The body of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei arrived in the holy city of Qom on Monday evening, hours after a sea of people filled the streets of Tehran for his funeral procession in the capital.
Ordinary Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic joined top officials for the event, in which a truck carrying the bodies of Khamenei and four family members killed in a February 28 US-Israeli strike inched its way to Azadi Square in the west of the city.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday.
“The body of the martyred leader has arrived in Qom,” south of the capital, state television said on social media, alongside footage showing a helicopter carrying Khamenei’s body landing in the city.
Earlier Monday, AFP images showed huge numbers stretching along major boulevards in Tehran, while state television said millions turned out for an event comparable to the giant funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
But on the third day of a marathon six-day sequence of funeral ceremonies, there was still no sign of Khamenei’s successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before his appointment a week after his father’s death.
Clad in black, people threw petals onto the coffins, including the tiny casket of Khamenei’s granddaughter, who was only 14 months old when she was killed, according to state media.
“We will avenge the blood of the martyrs and our martyred imam from these criminals,” said a man, 63, who gave his surname as Kazemi.
People carried blood-red flags — symbols of vengeance in Shia Islam — as well as slogans including “Kill Trump” and images of Mojtaba Khamenei.
“I came with honour and pride to show all the people of the world how much we loved him (Ali Khamenei) and how committed we are to the system, the people and the Islamic republic,” said Melika Nourian, 22, a university student.
– Message to ‘enemies’ –
Another truck was adorned with images of top Iranian and pro-Tehran officials killed in recent years, including the head of the overseas operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike on Iraq in 2020.
In sweltering heat that nudged 40C, trucks sprayed mourners with water to cool them along a procession route that covered around 20 kilometres (12 miles).
“The leadership of the martyr taught everyone that Iran’s greatest asset is its people and their unity,” President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was among the mourners, wrote on X.
Other figures shown attending by state media included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and the current head of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani.
The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, whose predecessor Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike in March, made his first appearance in public since being named at the procession, state television showed.
“The presence of millions of people with red flags and slogans, demanding bloodshed, is a clear message from the Iranian nation to its enemies,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.
State media also showed images of Mahmood Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013, taking part. Ahmadinejad had fallen out with Khamenei in the latter part of his presidency and had not been seen since the war began.
– Focus on Mojtaba Khamenei –
But as on previous days, there was still no sign of Mojtaba Khamenei, fuelling speculation over his whereabouts and condition. Iranian officials have said he was wounded in an airstrike and it remains uncertain if he will appear for the ceremonies.
Mojtaba Khamenei earlier reappointed Ejei as judiciary chief, according to his official social media.
The ceremonies culminate with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday which will be closely watched for signs of Mojtaba attending.
The government is eager to tout the mass mobilisation in the wake of the war but also after January mass protests, which rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people.
But authorities are also eager to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to state media, but where crowd surges killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Jafar Miadfar, the head of emergency services, told state news agency no fatalities have been recorded so far.
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Convoy carrying Khamenei’s body begins journey across Tehran
The funeral procession carrying the coffin of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei began making its way through the streets of Tehran on Monday morning, according to footage from state television, in a final public tribute expected to last around 10 hours.
“We ask the public to go peacefully to Azadi Square,” where the procession is expected to pass, said General Hassan Hassanzadeh, a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
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On Tuesday, his body will be moved to Qom, to the south of Tehran, where a senior Shia cleric will lead funeral prayers at Jamkaran, one of Iran’s most prominent and symbolic religious sites.
It will then travel to Najaf in Iraq on Wednesday. Following a procession at the shrine of Imam Ali, Shia Islam’s first imam, ceremonies will continue in Karbala before the body returns to Iran.
Then on Thursday, Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza Shrine, the mausoleum of Shia Islam’s eighth imam and Iran’s most important pilgrimage site, in Mashhad.
Ceremonies beyond the six-day procession will continue across the country for the following 40 days, with commemorative events planned until the first anniversary of Khamenei’s burial.
Khamenei was succeeded as Iran’s supreme leader by his son, Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since assuming the role, prompting speculation about his health.
Whether he will be seen at the funeral remains a key question surrounding the carefully choreographed ceremony.
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Funeral prayers for martyred Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and four other family members were offered in Tehran on Sunday, the second day of funeral ceremonies that have drawn huge crowds to pay their final respects.
Khamenei ruled the Islamic republic from 1989 until he was martyred aged 86 in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.
Sunday’s service at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex was led by prominent cleric Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old scholar who teaches in seminaries at the holy city of Qom.
Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who is said to have been wounded in the February 28 attack, has not appeared in public since being named supreme leader and was notably absent from the funeral prayers.
The late supreme leader’s other three sons, Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam, were in attendance.
Sunday was declared a public holiday across Iran, and later in the day, Khamenei’s body will be moved from the Grand Mosalla complex where it is lying in state in preparation for processions through the capital on Monday.
The vast religious complex and surrounding streets were packed with mourners on Sunday morning, AFP journalists saw.
With temperatures set to exceed 35°C, mourners carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei, as they made their way to the Grand Mosalla, were handed refreshments.
President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the ceremony alongside senior officials including parliament speaker and Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, state television footage showed.
Khamenei’s coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban, was placed alongside the coffins of four relatives also martyred in the February strikes, including an infant granddaughter.
Authorities have said they expect more than 10 million people to take part in ceremonies in Tehran.
Allies in attendance
After five weeks of intense hostilities, the Middle East war is on hold after a ceasefire and an initial accord with the US. But both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume fighting at any time.
Khamenei’s funeral is being viewed outside Iran as a test of support for the government following mass protests before the war in January that rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that left thousands dead.
“What is observed today in the emotions, tears, and passionate presence of the people in various scenes is the most telling sign of his position among the Iranian nation and the free people of the world,” Pezeshkian said in a speech Saturday, slamming Israel in particular for acting as a “destabilising factor” in the Middle East.
“Muslims have shown that they will not surrender to oppression and bullying,” he added.
Khamenei had long pursued a course of confrontation with the West, and Tehran for years has provided support to anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups around the region, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Delegations from both groups met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, state media reported, while representatives of Yemen’s Houthi and Hamas ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad were also in attendance at the funeral.
After Monday’s procession, Khamenei’s coffin will be moved on Tuesday to Qom, then on Wednesday to neighbouring Iraq, before the burial on Thursday in his northeastern hometown of Mashhad.
Significant security measures have been imposed in the capital, and official media has warned attendees of the risk of crowd crushes.
Organisers have also taken measures to mitigate a heatwave that may nudge 40°C in Tehran over the next few days, with crowds on Saturday sprayed with mists of water to keep cool at the Grand Mosalla complex.
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Funeral prayers were offered for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and four members of his family in Tehran on Sunday, according to Iranian media Tasnim News Agency.
The prayers were held at the Imam Khomeini Grand Musalla, where Khamenei’s body had been lying in state since Saturday for public mourning and official farewell ceremonies.
Senior scholar Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani conducted the funeral service for the martyred Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei and four other members of his family at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, according to Al Jazeera, citing IRNA news agency.
Per agency reports, attendees included top officials President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, alongside IRGC Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani.
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Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla ahead of the funeral ceremony, which officially began, to witness the last glance of their late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the first US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28.
Iran was staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, whose 37-year reign was brought to an end in February by the first airstrike of the war, in a show of public devotion to the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary zeal.
Khamenei’s remains were expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country’s holiest pilgrim shrine.
On Friday, the coffins carrying the remains of the late Khamenei and his family members, including a minor granddaughter, were draped in Iranian flags and unveiled to the throng of sobbing supporters beating their heads, who wanted to say their last goodbye to the late Supreme Leader.
Several foreign dignitaries, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese National People’s Congress deputy head He Wei, and Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, were among the foreign leaders and officials attending.
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Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei officially began on Saturday, state television reported, an event drawing thousands and intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic republic’s foes.
Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.
Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic republic as its number one from 1989 until his assassination aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.
The coffins of Irans late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members in the colours of Iranian flags and a portrait of late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on the stage, as people gather for a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
The coffins of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members in the colours of Iranian flags and a portrait of late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on the stage, as people gather for a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
The events will be scrutinised in particular for any signs of Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader a week after the killing of his father but is yet to appear in public.
Thousands of mourners carrying red banners — a symbol of vengeance — gathered in the courtyard of Tehran’s vast Grand Mosalla religious complex waiting for the arrival of Khamenei’s coffin, an AFP journalist witnessed.
Chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” echoed at the venue.
Another AFP journalist saw mourners walking several kilometres to reach the venue. Hundreds of supporters of the Islamic republic were already waiting on Friday evening outside the Grand Mosalla.
People react at a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
People react at a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
“We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn´t painful or difficult for us,” Somayye Hamedi told AFP as she waited.
Significant security measures have been imposed, with roads blocked and airspace expected to be closed for what is set to be the largest-scale public event in Iran since the burial of Khamenei´s predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
‘Final goodbye’
The coffin will lie in state until Monday, when a procession will pass through Tehran. On Tuesday it will move to the clerical hub of Qom, before moving on Wednesday to cities holy to Shia Muslims in neighbouring Iraq, then proceeding for burial on Thursday in Khamenei’s home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
People react at a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
People react at a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, in Tehran, Iran July 4, 2026. — Reuters
Officials who survived the war showed their grief and displayed a united front on Friday, with parliament speaker and top negotiator in the US talks Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visibly tearful.
Top Iranian officials paying their respects included Ahmad Vahidi, who was named chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor was killed in the same strikes that killed Khamenei but had not been seen since.
The coming days will be closely watched for signs of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only by written statements and is said to have been wounded in the same strikes, though the extent of his injuries was never made clear.
Other relatives killed in the strikes will also be buried, including Ali Khamenei’s infant granddaughter.
International guests paying respects Friday included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US, and Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian security council, who attended on behalf of President Vladimir Putin.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshall Asim Munir offering prayers during the state funeral of Irans late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. — AFP
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshall Asim Munir offering prayers during the state funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. — AFP
Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, both backed by Tehran, were also represented, as was the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
‘Call for vengeance’
After five weeks of fighting, the Middle East conflict is on hold following an initial accord between Iran and the US. But Iranian officials have warned Tehran is ready to resume fighting if needed.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, who urged Iranians to turn out en masse.
Army chief Amir Hatami vowed Israel and the US “will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation’s martyrs”.
But authorities will also want the event to go smoothly, deeply aware of the risk of crowd crushes, which have marred similar events in the past, with TV broadcasting guidelines on how to stay safe.
With temperatures well over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) expected over the next few days in Tehran, tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down attendees.
Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran’s notorious traffic.
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Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif writing his remarks in the condolence book at the funeral of Late Supreme Leader of Iran, Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. Tehran, 3 July 2026
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif offers prayers at the funeral of late Supreme Leader of Iran, Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. Tehran on 3 July 2026.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Tehran on Friday and paid his last respects to Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei at his coffin.
Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir and a high-level delegation, the premier joined funeral ceremony for the late Iranian leader and conveyed Pakistan’s condolences.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji and his delegation paid their respects to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian media reported.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 during an Israeli and US war against the Islamic Republic that prompted Iranian attacks on Gulf states hosting US military bases, including Saudi Arabia. The conflict killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
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The body of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was martyred in US-Israeli strikes, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex on Friday ahead of his funeral, with authorities expecting millions and a coterie of foreign dignitaries to attend the official ceremony.
“The body of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution has arrived at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla,” IRNA wrote on Telegram, using the complex’s official name.
Pakistan, a key mediator in talks between the United States and Iran on ending the Middle East war, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be at the funeral in Tehran on Saturday.
China, Afghanistan and Iran’s neighbours in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.
Workers readied Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, while security teams stopped passing cars and curious bystanders looked on.
“We have planted flowers and watered the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide,” said worker Hossein Moghadassi, clad in a hat and a scarf to cover his face as the temperature soared. “People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds.”
Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had called for a massive turnout at the event as a way to avenge the supreme leader’s death in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s parliament speaker.
Khamenei’s funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, is taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital.
He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei. The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.
– Multi-city commemorations –
The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country’s history.
Ghalibaf called it “one of the most significant moments” in Iran’s history.
Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies, will observe public holidays while the events are underway.
Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.
The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.
It remains unknown if Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.
Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people pouring in from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Giant portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late supreme leader killed in US-Israeli airstrikes, hung from Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Tuesday as workers raced to prepare for his grand funeral ceremony.
His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, will take place as Iran and the United States uphold a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings.
The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.
The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country’s history.
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An Iranian official said on Wednesday that the funeral procession for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by US-Israeli strikes in February, will pass through Iraq before his burial in Iran.
In a video carried by state media, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani said the farewell ceremonies and funeral for Khamenei will be held from July 4 to 9.
“On 8 July 2026, they will take place in Iraq, and on July 9, 2026, God willing, in Mashhad” in Iran, where Khamenei will be buried, he added
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Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for nearly 37 years before being assassinated by Israeli and US airstrikes on February 28, will be buried on July 9, state television reported Saturday.
The burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, initially scheduled for March but postponed due to the war, will follow three days of funeral ceremonies in capital Tehran beginning July 4 and another in the holy city of Qom on July 7, it said.
July 4, the start date of the national funeral, will coincide with the United States’ Independence Day, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary.
Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, succeeded him as supreme leader in early March, the third since the establishment of the Islamic republic in 1979.
Mojtaba Khamenei, wounded in the strikes that killed his father and numerous other officials, has not appeared in public since his appointment and communicates only through statements attributed to him.
