Iran is preparing to hold a memorial service for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s slain wife and family members, who were killed in airstrikes as the war began, according to the state-affiliated media.
The ceremony is expected to take place from Thursday to Friday at the Shah Abdol-Azim Hasani Shrine in Tehran, Nour News reported.
Khamenei’s wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, as well as his sister, brother-in-law and niece were all killed in the same February strikes that targeted and killed his father, then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and various other senior regime figures.
Ali Khamenei had ruled Iran with an iron fist for nearly four decades. His son was chosen to replace him, but Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began, choosing only to release written messages.
The new supreme leader was himself wounded in the February 28 airstrikes on his father’s residence in Tehran, and his reclusiveness sparked speculation about the extent of his wounds. This week, Iran’s health ministry said Mojtaba Khamenei sustained only “superficial injuries” to his face, head and legs,” disputing western media reports that one of his limbs had been amputated.