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A masked man seen at the funeral has prompted questions about who he is
A figure with an obscured face stood among a row of carefully selected men chosen to lead the funeral prayer over the body of Iran’s slain leader, Ali Khamenei, on Thursday. The man’s mysterious attire sparked a buzz on social media, with users theorizing whether the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had concealed himself to attend his father’s burial in Mashhad.
It was yet another theory among many that surfaced during the weeklong grand funeral ceremony for Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli strikes coordinated with the United States in late February.
In the week of ceremony for Ali Khamenei, AI videos showing Mojtaba Khamenei in civilian clothing and a black baseball cap walking among the mourners in Tehranis to bid farewell to his father. Pro-regime journalists prophesized that he was among the crowd at the shrine while others shared pictures of a clean-shaven man in a black cap, claiming it was the ayatollah in disguise.
Now, the latest cause of mystery is a man wearing a black baseball cap and what appears to be a large mask covering his face, shown in pictures shown by the state broadcaster. He stood prominently among the select group at a private event held for Khamenei’s family and close friends on Thursday, led by another one of his sons, Mostafa.
Social media accounts scrutinized the man’s build, glasses, and height, comparing them to those of the new supreme leader in an effort to determine whether it was him who was concealed behind the mask. Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make a public appearance since his appointment four months ago.
Even as Iran’s precarious political situation grows more turbulent amid deep internal divisions over diplomacy with the US, the Islamic Republic has chosen to keep its new leader concealed, offering no further proof of life beyond written statements attributed to him.
This approach signals that the regime is willing to keep the state’s top authority shrouded in mystery, despite the speculation it is causing.
His absence has left some doubting his capacity to lead, with others even suggesting that he may be dead.