Lead
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials joined thousands of mourners at funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while his successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, remained absent. The absence has fueled speculation about his condition, as reported by both BBC and Deutsche Welle.
Coverage Comparison
Both BBC and Deutsche Welle reported extensively on the funeral proceedings. BBC noted that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, has not been seen in public since being reportedly wounded in the same February 28 airstrike that killed his father and other family members. Deutsche Welle similarly reported his absence and noted that his three brothers attended the ceremony.
Deutsche Welle described the funeral as the second day of proceedings, with events planned across Iran and Iraq over the following week. BBC noted that the ceremony was choreographed and that Mojtaba Khamenei's absence came amid threats from Israel to assassinate him.
Key Claims
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the ceremonies for Khamenei, as reported by both BBC and Deutsche Welle. The funerals for Ali Khamenei were attended by thousands of mourners, including senior officials such as Revolutionary Guards leader Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
Mojtaba Khamenei was absent from his father's funeral, according to both sources. The son who succeeded him has not appeared in public since early March, following reports of injury in the same airstrike that killed his father, according to both outlets.
Khamenei's other sons, Masoud, Mostafa and Meysam, attended the service. BBC reported that Masoud was seen wiping his tears with a keffiyeh.
The coffin of Ali Khamenei was flanked by the coffins of his family members who were also killed in the strike, including a daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and a 14-month-old granddaughter, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
Poet Mohammad Rasouli facilitated Sunday's ceremony and led chants of "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" according to Deutsche Welle.
Mourners were kept cool by mist machines as temperatures in Tehran neared 35 degrees Celsius, as reported by both outlets.
The week-long funeral has put on hold talks with the US intended to reach a permanent end to the war, according to BBC and Deutsche Welle.
BBC reported that President Donald Trump said he believed the three-week-old preliminary agreement between the US and Iran to end the war was "over." This came after the US and Iran exchanged strikes following attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, with the US blaming Iran and carrying out retaliatory strikes, and Iran responding by attacking US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.