Media: Iran's supreme leader to miss father's funeral over security concerns

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is unlikely to lead funeral prayers for his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, amid reports that security concerns have prevented him from attending the burial ceremony.

Two members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a person involved in planning the funeral told The New York Times that Mojtaba Khamenei had expressed a desire to attend his father's burial on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad and personally recite the prayer for the dead.

However, Iranian security officials have so far reportedly rejected the proposal over concerns that Israel could target him during the ceremony or use his public appearance to trace his location.

The three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the sensitive funeral arrangements, also told the newspaper that Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend a memorial service held on July 1 for his wife, teenage son and other relatives who were killed on the first day of the war, when Israeli and U.S. strikes hit the family compound.

Iranian state media later announced on July 4 that senior Shi'ite clerics, rather than the current supreme leader, will lead funeral prayers during ceremonies for Ali Khamenei.

According to state media, Grand Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani will lead prayers in Tehran, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi will preside over the ceremony in Qom, and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani will lead prayers in Mashhad.

By Sabina Mammadli