A senior Iranian general who leads the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has reappeared in public as Tehran prepared for the dayslong funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports AP.
Photos published by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting on funeral arrangements for Khamenei, 86, before appearing beside his casket during a memorial service held Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.
Vahidi has emerged as a key figure in shaping Iran's hardline position on negotiations over a possible permanent end to the conflict with the United States, according to experts. He is also believed to be among a small group in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view after reportedly being wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father.
Vahidi had not been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began.
Video released by Iranian state media showed mourners gathering at the husseiniyah inside Khamenei's compound in Tehran. According to Iranian authorities, an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war killed Khamenei and several members of his family.
State media showed Khamenei's coffin placed on a stage decorated with red tulips and paper butterflies. Black-clad mourners, identified as relatives of people killed during the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items toward the coffin for attendants to touch against it, a common religious practice in Iran.
Later images showed the casket draped with a red flag bearing the words "Ya Hussein," a Shiite expression commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. The flag had been flown over the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, Iraq, and traditionally symbolizes the blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.
Iran is scheduled to begin a dayslong state funeral for Khamenei on Saturday. His body will be taken to several cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. The funeral will begin at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where authorities are expected to close streets as mourners pay tribute to the longtime leader.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
