Khamenei funeral: Successor missing as three brothers appear

Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday for the second day of funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as three of his sons made a rare public appearance while his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained out of public view.

The ceremonies, held at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, are among the largest public events in Iran since Khamenei and four members of his family were killed in Israeli airstrikes on February 28, reportedly based on US intelligence.

Ali Khamenei's eldest son, Mostafa, and his younger sons Masoud and Meysam, all clerics, attended the funeral prayers on Sunday.

There was still no sign of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named Iran's new Supreme Leader shortly after his father's death but is yet to appear publicly.

Iranian officials have said Mojtaba was wounded in the Israeli strikes, though the extent of his injuries remains unclear. He has so far communicated only through written statements.

His absence is expected to remain a focus as funeral ceremonies continue through the week, culminating in Khamenei's burial in Mashhad on Thursday.

The funeral procession will continue in Tehran on Monday before moving to the religious city of Qom on Tuesday and Iraq on Wednesday. Khamenei will be laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.

Senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, 97, led the funeral prayers before Khamenei's body was moved from the Grand Mosalla complex.

Beyond mourning Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, the funeral ceremonies have become a display of resilience by Iranian authorities following five weeks of war with Israel and the United States.