# Iran's wounded supreme leader misses Day 2 of his father's funeral as doubts grow over who governs Tehran > Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since February 28; his three brothers prayed at the coffin in Tehran as Israeli threats and reported injuries kept him away from the largest state funeral in Iran's history **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-05 · heads: من يقرّر, ما لا يقولونه · 10 takes · 6 lenses · 6 regions ## Summary [Iran's](/ar/entity/iran) new Supreme Leader [Mojtaba Khamenei](/ar/entity/mojtaba-khamenei) did not appear for a second consecutive day at his father's mass state funeral on July 5, leaving three of his brothers, Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud, to pray at the coffin of [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei](/ar/entity/person/ali-khamenei) at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran. Mojtaba has not been seen publicly since the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that killed his father, mother and wife; Reuters reported he suffered a disfigured face and injuries to one or both legs. [Israeli Defence Minister](/ar/entity/irgc) Israel Katz publicly named Mojtaba as a target, and Iranian security authorities reportedly blocked him from attending. His three uninjured brothers attended in his place. The funeral runs July 4-9, moving from Tehran to Qom, Mashhad and a stop in Iraq. ## The split [Iranian state media](/ar/entity/iran) frames the absence as a necessary security measure and presents the crowds of an estimated 20 million in Tehran as evidence of national solidarity. Israeli and Western outlets read the same silence as a governance crisis: 120 days without a public appearance or audio statement from the country's supreme leader. Gulf-based analysts point to [IRGC](/ar/entity/irgc) General Mohammad Bagheri as the real operational authority, with the constitutional interim council (President [Masoud Pezeshkian](/ar/entity/person/masoud-pezeshkian), the judiciary head and a Guardian Council jurist) functioning as a legal cover. Iranian reformist commentary, circulating outside state channels, notes that [Doha ceasefire talks](/ar/n/iran-us-ceasefire-mou) have continued without him, raising the question of who actually signed off on Iran's concessions. ## By the numbers - 120, days since Mojtaba Khamenei's last verified public appearance - ~20 million, estimated funeral attendance in Tehran on July 4-5, per city authorities - 3 of 4 sons attended the coffin; the designated successor did not - July 4-9, full funeral calendar across Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and Iraq - 3 interim council members hold the supreme leader's constitutional duties under Article 111 ## Why it matters Iran is a nuclear-threshold state navigating a ceasefire, frozen assets negotiations, and a 60-day window to formalize a peace deal, all while its legal head is either incapacitated or hiding. Whoever is actually making decisions in Tehran is doing so without public accountability or a clear constitutional mandate. That opacity complicates both the ceasefire track and any eventual successor contest: the [IRGC](/ar/entity/irgc) benefits from an invisible leader, reformist factions do not. ## What to watch - Whether Mojtaba appears at Qom or Mashhad stages of the funeral (July 6-9) - Any statement from Iran's Assembly of Experts on his fitness to serve - Restart of indirect US-Iran Doha talks after July 9, and whether Iran sends a higher-ranking negotiator - Any IRGC public endorsement or conditioning of the Islamabad MoU terms --- ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### US financial media - **CNBC** (United States, en) — Reported that Mojtaba's brothers Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud prayed at the coffin while Mojtaba was absent for a second consecutive day. Cited sources saying his face was disfigured and one or both legs were injured in the February 28 strike. Israeli Defence Minister Katz publicly named him as 'marked for death', making any public appearance an active security threat. > "Three sons of Iran's slain leader Khamenei appear at funeral, not his successor." Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/05/successor-to-irans-slain-leader-khamenei-does-not-appear-at-funeral.html ### European international broadcast - **France 24** (France, en) — Framed Mojtaba's absence as a governance crisis. He has communicated only through written statements since February and has never shown his face or spoken publicly in any audio or video. Under Iran's constitution, an interim three-member council of the president, judiciary head and Guardian Council jurist carries out the leader's duties until the Assembly of Experts designates a permanent replacement. > "Iran's new supreme leader has yet to make a public appearance, adding to doubts about his health." Source: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260705-iran-new-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-absent-from-mass-funeral-for-father ### Israeli security-focused media - **Times of Israel (liveblog)** (Israel, en) — Confirmed the second consecutive day of Mojtaba's absence, and noted Israel's explicit threat as the security justification offered by Tehran. The liveblog framed the absence as evidence that Iran's new supreme leader is either incapacitated or effectively hiding, with strategic implications for the ceasefire talks. > "Mojtaba Khamenei still absent on day 2 of father's funeral in Tehran." Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/mojtaba-khamenei-still-absent-on-day-2-of-fathers-funeral-in-tehran/ ### Israeli centre-right daily - **Jerusalem Post** (Israel, he) — Reported that Iran's security apparatus actively barred Mojtaba from attending, citing assassination fears. Quoted Israeli Defence Minister Katz's warning that Mojtaba is a target, and noted that the precedent of Haniyeh's assassination at the 2024 Raisi funeral created a credible deterrent. > "Iran bars Mojtaba Khamenei from attending father's funeral over assassination concern." Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-901377 ### Gulf-based Iran analysis - **House of Saud (analysis)** (United Arab Emirates, en) — Detailed analysis of Mojtaba's 120-day absence, arguing that the IRGC's General Mohammad Bagheri holds real operational authority in Tehran, with the interim constitutional council serving as a legal front. The piece noted that Iran's nuclear and ceasefire negotiations have continued uninterrupted, suggesting a functional bureaucratic layer that does not depend on the supreme leader's direct participation. > "Mojtaba Khamenei absent 120 days: the IRGC holds power the supreme leader cannot exercise." Source: https://houseofsaud.com/mojtaba-khamenei-healthy-not-appeared-120-days/ ### unlabelled - **NBC News** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/powerful-iranian-general-seen-public-preparation-supreme-leaders-vast-rcna352842 - **CNN (live updates)** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/05/world/live-news/iran-khamenei-funeral-war-trump - **WION** (India, en) — Source: https://www.wionews.com/world/why-mojtaba-khamenei-absent-ali-khamenei-funeral-1783249437338 - **Al Jazeera** (Qatar, ar) — Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/3/irans-khamenei-funeral-which-world-leaders-are-attending - **The Week (India)** (India, en) — Source: https://www.theweek.in/news/middle-east/2026/07/04/security-threats-or-severe-injuries-why-mojtaba-khamenei-is-missing-from-his-fathers-funeral.html ## Across the graph - Related: [[iran-mojtaba-succession]], [[khamenei-funeral-july2026-diplomacy]], [[ali-khamenei-dossier]], [[iran-us-ceasefire-mou]], [[iran-doha-talks-conclusion-jul2]] - Entities: Iran, Person:ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, Irgc, Person:masoud Pezeshkian --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ar/n/mojtaba-khamenei-absent-funeral-jul5