Khamenei’s funeral: Ghalibaf: ‘Today, the invincible Iranians are crying out for vengeance’
The mystery surrounding the presence of Mojtab’s successor remains
The solemn funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February in the US and Israeli air strikes against Iran, is continuing in Tehran. On the second day of the public commemorations, hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Imam Khomeini Shrine for a mass prayer, whilst attention is increasingly focused on the leadership of the Islamic Republic in the aftermath of the war.
In the sweltering heat, a crowd dressed in mourning began arriving at the religious complex from the early hours of the morning. The square quickly filled up and many people were left outside, trying to get closer to venue of the ceremony. At the end of the prayer, the faithful chanted the slogan “O martyr, your journey continues”, whilst the tribute will continue until the evening to allow even those who were unable to get in to pay their respects to the former leader.
The religious service was led by Grand Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani, aged 97, one of the foremost Shia religious authorities based in the holy city of Qom. Also present were Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and other government officials. The authorities estimate that, over the course of the commemorations, between 15 and 20 million people may take part in Tehran alone.
However, it was above all the second public appearance in just three days by General Ahmad Vahidi, the current commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran), that caught people’s attention. The ultra-conservative general was seen praying before Khamenei’s body during the ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Shrine.
Vahidi had taken command of the Pasdaran following the death of his predecessor, Mohammad Pakpour, who was killed in the initial Israeli-US attacks that sparked the conflict. For months he had stayed out of the public eye, according to Iranian media, for fear of possible targeted operations by the United States and Israel. He had only reappeared on Friday, at the opening of the commemorations.
