Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Surfaces at Khamenei Funeral
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a surprise public appearance at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's funeral in Tehran on Monday, dispelling months of rumors that he had been killed in the Iran-Israel war. Millions of mourners attended one of Iran's larg
Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a surprise public appearance at the funeral of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday, months after widespread reports claimed he had been killed during the opening days of the Iran-Israel war.
Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, joined millions of mourners dressed in black as Khamenei's coffin was carried through the streets of Tehran in one of the largest funeral processions in the country's history.
His appearance marked the first time he had been seen in public since the conflict began. Early in the war, several Iranian state-affiliated media outlets reported that Ahmadinejad had been killed after a missile strike near his home. However, Iranian authorities never officially confirmed or denied the reports, fueling months of speculation over his fate.
Video and photographs from Monday's procession showed Ahmadinejad walking among mourners wearing a dark jacket, with a face mask pulled down around his neck.
His reappearance came as two other former Iranian presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, were notably absent from the funeral ceremonies. Critics claimed they had not been invited.
The funeral drew much of Iran's political and military leadership, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and other senior officials.
State television broadcast aerial footage showing crowds stretching across central Tehran, while authorities estimated attendance could reach 20 million people.
Along the funeral route, some mourners displayed an effigy of Donald Trump and carried anti-US banners.
Meanwhile, Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, did not appear in public during the funeral. Instead, his brothers attended the funeral prayers, marking their first public appearance since their father's death.
