Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, a powerful commander in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has emerged from hiding as Tehran prepares for the dayslong funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28, 2026. Photos published by Iranian state media showed Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral arrangements and later sitting beside Khamenei's casket during a smaller service held Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.
Vahidi's Role in Iran's Leadership
Vahidi has become a major figure in formulating Iran's tough stance in negotiations to end the war with the United States, according to experts. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the same Israeli strikes that killed his father. Vahidi had not been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began.
Funeral Ceremonies Begin
Video published by Iranian state media showed the mourning ceremony for Khamenei near the husseiniyah at his compound in Tehran. The airstrike in the war's first moments killed Khamenei, 86, and some of his family members. State media reported that Khamenei's body was placed in a coffin on a stage, with red tulips lined up in front. Paper butterflies hung from the ceiling. Black-clad mourners, identified as families of those who lost loved ones in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran.
Later, state media showed images of Khamenei's casket draped with a red flag bearing white calligraphy reading "Ya Hussein," a Shiite expression in remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. The flag had flown over the Imam Hussein golden-domed shrine in Karbala, Iraq, and traditionally symbolizes both the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.
Dayslong Funeral Planned
On Friday morning, security forces carried Khamenei's coffin overhead as it arrived at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran. Religious leaders walked past the coffins of Khamenei and his slain family, including his 14-month-old granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani. Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold a dayslong funeral, transporting Khamenei's body to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace, and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei, who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.
