Hundreds of thousands gathered at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on Sunday, July 5, to pay final respects following reports of the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his immediate family. The mass turnout marked the start of several days of mourning and funeral ceremonies across Iran.
Three of Khamenei’s sons — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — were seen praying beside the coffins. Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been reported as his father’s successor, did not make a public appearance during the ceremonies.
Officials and observers describe the funerals as a visible show of continuity within Iran’s leadership after the reported killing. Organizers said the coffin will be taken to Tehran’s Freedom Square before proceeding to Qom on July 7, then to the Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf on July 8, and finally to Mashhad for burial on July 9.
In a related political development, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf characterized a recently signed memorandum of understanding as a political and military “achievement for the Axis of Resistance,” asserting that the United States and Israel have been compelled to acknowledge Iran’s regional allies.
On the energy front, seven OPEC+ members agreed to raise production quotas by a combined 188,000 barrels per day starting in August, as Gulf producers work to recover from months of export disruption after near-paralysis in the Strait of Hormuz.
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