Iran’s supreme leader absent from funeral of father Ali Khamenei

Mourners gather beneath a portrait of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funeral ceremonies in Tehran. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP View image in fullscreen Mourners gather beneath a portrait of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funeral ceremonies in Tehran. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP Iran’s supreme leader absent from funeral of father Ali Khamenei Three sons of killed ayatollah were seen beside coffin during ceremonies drawing huge crowds in Tehran Three sons of the former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of ⁠four other family members ⁠on Sunday, but Mojtaba, ​the son who has succeeded him as Iran’s supreme leader, did not make an appearance. State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the ⁠vast courtyard of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex. In a show of public devotion to the theocratic state and revolutionary zeal, the country is staging a week of mass funeral processions ⁠for Khamenei, including taking his remains to Shia religious sites in neighbouring Iraq. After a day lying in state indoors for senior ​Iranian leaders and foreign officials to visit, Khamenei’s coffin was displayed ‌outdoors on Saturday under glass, along ‌with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter. View image in fullscreen The coffins of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family are displayed at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran on Sunday. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP There has still been no public sighting or image released of Mojtaba, said ‌to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and family members on 28 February, when Israel and the US bombed Iranian targets at the start of the war. Mojtaba Khamenei’s face was disfigured and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, people close to his inner circle told Reuters. For allies and adversaries alike, America at 250 is a solid global citizen gone rogue Read more A ceasefire has suspended the four-month-old war under an agreement with Washington that Iran’s authorities say will ultimately bring huge economic benefits, in line with what they describe ‌as a victory over a superpower. The US president, Donald Trump, told the Axios news website that peace talks had been paused for a week owing to the events surrounding the funeral. On Sunday, the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, ​and Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, prayed behind the coffins. Masoud Khamenei was seen crying and wiping his tears with a keffiyeh – the chequered scarf that is a symbol in Iran of militant revolutionary ideals and solidarity with Palestinians – as an imam recited funeral prayers. View image in fullscreen Iranian officials attend the state ceremony for Ali Khamenei, who was killed in attacks launched by the US and Israel in February. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Crowds of Iranians, many weeping and some beati