The mystery of the masked man at Ali Khamenei’s funeral, media identify who he was

The presence of a man with his face hidden behind a black mask at the funeral ceremony of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, immediately sparked speculation that he might be Mojtaba Khamenei, whose name has been mentioned as a possible successor at the head of the country.

During the funeral, he was seen in the front row, taking part in the religious rites. Wearing a baseball cap and a black mask covering his face, he quickly became the subject of comments on social media, where the footage was shared at a rapid pace.

But according to Iran International, the person in question was not Mojtaba Khamenei. The outlet reported that it was Mohammad Javad Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s eldest grandson.

The report says that Javad Khamenei had suffered severe facial burns during the American and Israeli airstrikes of February 28, attacks in which Ali Khamenei was killed. According to the same reports, Mojtaba Khamenei was also seriously injured and disfigured in that attack.

Mohammad Javad Khamenei is the son of Mostafa Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s eldest son, and is considered part of the new generation of the Iranian leader’s family.

Ali Khamenei was buried on Thursday, after a funeral ceremony that lasted six days and which, according to Iranian state media, drew up to 43 million participants across the country.

On the other hand, on Saturday Mojtaba Khamenei published a message on Telegram, in which he vowed revenge for his father’s killing, signaling that tensions in the region remain high.