Mourners gather in Tehran for Khamenei memorial service

Crowds gathered in Iran’s capital on Thursday to mark a memorial service for the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.

State television aired footage showing large numbers of mourners assembling in central Tehran to commemorate the influential cleric at the end of the traditional 40-day mourning period observed in Shia Islam.

Organisers scheduled the main procession to begin at 9:40 a.m. local time (0610 GMT), symbolically matching the moment when Khamenei’s official residence in Tehran was struck at the outset of the conflict.

A separate prayer service is planned for Friday in the capital, though it remains unclear who will lead the ceremony.

Khamenei’s son and designated successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly since assuming the position of supreme leader in early March.

His absence has fueled speculation about his health, following remarks by U.S. Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who claimed on Wednesday that the new leader is “disfigured.”

Details surrounding Khamenei’s burial also remain uncertain.

He is expected to be laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, though no official date has been announced.

dpa/NAN