Tehran: Iranian politics and the geopolitics of the Middle East are once again in the global spotlight. Following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, is expected to make his first public appearance. Iran is scheduled to hold a memorial ceremony for the late Supreme Leader next week, just days after he was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad.
When will the memorial happen?
According to reports, the memorial ceremony will be held on July 23 between 5 pm and 7 pm in the capital city of Tehran. The notice referred to the late leader as the ‘martyred mujahid Imam.’
However, there is no official clarification on whether Mojtaba will attend the ceremony or not, but there are speculations that the current supreme leader will likely make a public appearance on that day.
If this happens, it will be his first public appearance since becoming Supreme Leader. However, Iranian officials have yet to officially confirm that Mojtaba Khamenei will appear.
What about the prayer meeting?
A special prayer service has been held in the Iranian religious city of Qom. Earlier, media reports had predicted that Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, might appear in public for the first time on Saturday. It was expected that he would lead the memorial service for his father at the Hazrat Masoumeh shrine.
What about the funeral?
The Supreme Leader was laid to rest in Mashhad, about 131 days after his death. This is the first instance in modern history where a leader’s body has been buried after such a long time.
Mojtaba was made Iran’s Supreme Leader after Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint strike by the United States (US) and Israel on February 28.
