Ali Khamenei memorial may mark Mojtaba’s first appearance

Iran has announced a memorial ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran next week, with attention focused on whether his successor, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, will make his first public appearance since taking office.

According to an official notice, the ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, from 5 pm to 7 pm. The event has been described as a tribute to the “martyred mujahid Imam”, but Iranian authorities have not confirmed whether Mojtaba Khamenei will be present.

Funeral absence fuelled speculation

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since succeeding his father after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes in late February.

The six-day funeral ceremonies, held from July 4 to July 9, ended with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s private burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

Earlier funeral prayers in Tehran were led by Mojtaba’s brothers — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei — at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners gathered. The new Supreme Leader’s absence throughout the ceremonies drew widespread attention, although officials gave no reason for it.

Vow of retaliation

Days after the funeral, Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement since assuming Iran’s top leadership, promising revenge for his father’s killing.

“Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out,” he said. “This matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass.”

The statement was released shortly after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against any attempt to assassinate him.

The memorial comes amid renewed friction between Iran and the United States following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.