The identity of the masked figure whose appearance at the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sparked widespread speculation has reportedly been revealed. An Iranian media report says the mourner was not Khamenei's son, as many had believed, but his eldest grandson.
After Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes earlier this year, a man wearing a black face mask and a black baseball cap drew attention as he sat in the front row during the funeral prayers. His presence prompted speculation that he was Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son and a figure widely viewed as a possible successor.
According to Iran International, however, the masked mourner was Mohammad Javad Khamenei, the eldest grandson of the late Supreme Leader.
The report said Mohammad Javad is the son of Mostafa Khamenei, Ali Khamenei's eldest son. He is believed to have sustained severe facial burns along with other serious injuries during the US and Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed the Iranian leader. Those injuries reportedly led him to conceal his face with a black mask while attending the funeral.
Questions have also persisted over the condition of Mojtaba Khamenei in the aftermath of the attack. The New York Post, citing US intelligence assessments, reported that he was seriously injured and left badly disfigured during the airstrikes.
Reports said Mojtaba was inside the same residence as his father when the US and Israeli operation took place but survived because he was in another room. Iran's ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, said at the time that Mojtaba had suffered injuries to his legs, hand and arm and was receiving treatment in hospital.
Mojtaba has neither appeared in public nor addressed the nation since the attack. Australian media reports have said he has instead remained in contact with Iran's military leadership and senior clerics through handwritten messages.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest on Thursday after six days of funeral ceremonies held across Iran. The burial came more than four months after his death, with Iranian authorities saying the continuing conflict involving the US and Israel had made it too dangerous to hold a large public funeral earlier. During that period, his body remained in cold storage.
His coffin, draped in the Iranian flag, was carried into the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad. Iranian state media said approximately 43 million people took part in the nationwide mourning ceremonies.
