Mojtaba Khamenei absent from Ali Khamenei funeral

Mojtaba Khamenei made no confirmed appearance at the funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, raising questions among analysts about his health, security and how Iran's new supreme leader may exercise power.

Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran. The funeral ceremonies ended on Thursday with his burial in the holy city of Mashhad.

Senior figures in the Islamic republic attended, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Ali Khamenei's eldest son, Mostafa Khamenei. There was no confirmed appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader shortly after his father's killing and has communicated only through written statements since then.

Farzan Sabet, a managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told AFP that Mojtaba's low public profile and absence from his father's funeral did not help his public image, but could be temporary and manageable.

Sabet said Mojtaba was likely absent because of a combination of physical injury and security concerns, including the risk that a public appearance could be used to track him. He also said Mojtaba's power and authority were likely to be further subordinated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, said Mojtaba had relied on the IRGC's support to win the post and was more dependent on the force. Brodsky said the balance of power between the office of the supreme leader and the IRGC had shifted.

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, wrote that Mojtaba Khamenei would most likely rule through institutions rather than over them.

The reason for Mojtaba Khamenei's absence has not been confirmed. The supplied account cited unverified claims about his condition and said social media users searched images of the events without finding a confirmed sighting.