TEHRAN, Iran — A prominent Iranian general named Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who had not been seen publicly for months, made a rare appearance in a photograph at a service honoring the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The image was released by Iranian state media Thursday night. Gen. Vahidi, the leader of the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was reported to have attended a meeting concerning preparations for Khamenei’s funeral. He was then photographed seated next to Khamenei’s casket at a smaller service held at the former residence of the late supreme leader in downtown Tehran.
Local and international dignitaries passed by the coffin to convey their respects. The gathering in Tehran on Friday included numerous Iranian officials, mourning the leader as the country prepared for a comprehensive funeral procession. During this grand event, Iran aims to display its resilience and influence in the wake up of a substantial offense by the United States and Israel.
According to images shared by The Associated Press and Getty Images, a large assembly of mourners surrounded Khamenei’s coffin on Friday morning. Many were visibly moved, paying homage to a leader who inspired both devotion and animosity.
Outside Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque, IRGC members were seen kneeling. Under Khamenei’s leadership, the IRGC became a formidable military, political, and economic entity in the nation.
The funeral is expected to draw millions, contrasting the large protests from January that resulted in a severe crackdown by Iranian security forces. Those protests left thousands dead and reverberated globally.
Khamenei passed away at 86 during the Iran war on February 28, along with family members, following attacks by the U.S. and Israel on the Islamic Republic. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, survived the attack despite being injured and was appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader in March. He has not appeared in public yet, leading to speculation about his condition.
Photographs documenting Khamenei’s life and legacy adorned the capital on Friday in anticipation of the upcoming funeral. A public viewing of Khamenei’s coffin alongside prayer sessions are set for Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran. The funeral procession, anticipated to draw massive crowds, will take place on Monday, bringing into focus the profound influence Khamenei exerted over Iran throughout his nearly four-decade rule.