Prayers were held Sunday over the casket of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, marking the second day of funeral ceremonies that have drawn massive crowds to Tehran. The service at Tehran's Grand Mosalla complex was led by prominent Shia cleric Ja'far Sobhani, a 97-year-old scholar who teaches in seminaries at the holy city of Qom.
Notable Absence of Successor
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.
Public Holiday and Processions
Sunday was declared a public holiday across Iran. 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, according to AFP journalists.
With temperatures set to exceed 35 degrees Celsius, 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, as shown by state television footage.
Coffin and Relatives
Khamenei's coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban, was placed alongside the coffins of four relatives also killed 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.
