Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose reported death at the outset of the war had cast him in a mysterious light, has resurfaced in public. He was observed among the crowds attending the funeral procession for Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on February 28.
Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, was declared dead by Iranian state media on the day the current war began, following Israeli and U.S. strikes targeting Iranian leadership. He had not been seen or heard from in the intervening months, leading to widespread belief he had perished. His public appearance on Monday marks his first sighting since the conflict escalated in February.
Images from the funeral show Ahmadinejad in a crowd of mourners, wearing a jacket and with a mask lowered to his neck. The procession in Tehran saw a massive turnout, encouraged by Iran's theocracy as a display of strength amid ongoing negotiations with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war.
Ayatollah Khamenei's coffin, along with those of family members killed in the February 28 strike, was carried on a truck decorated to resemble shrine ornamentation. State television broadcast helicopter footage depicting vast crowds stretching for miles from Azadi Square. The attendance appeared to surpass that of the 2020 funeral for Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian authorities did not provide an immediate crowd count. Some mourners carried signs calling for the death of former U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. federal authorities have reportedly been monitoring Iranian threats against Trump and other officials for years, stemming from Trump's 2020 order to kill Soleimani. Iran has consistently denied plotting to kill Trump, though propaganda has suggested he was a target. Trump, in turn, had vowed to "destroy Iran’s civilisation."
The United States is seeking to advance negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curtailing Tehran's nuclear program, and establishing a lasting peace. Talks are reportedly paused until after the burial. The funeral served as a demonstration of unity as Iran asserts its demand for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial energy waterway it closed during the war. The U.S. has rejected these demands, and significant disagreements remain on Iran's nuclear program and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not yet appeared publicly during the multi-day funeral ceremonies. He is reportedly in hiding, having possibly been wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. Israel had targeted top Iranian leaders during the war, and has also reportedly threatened the younger Khamenei.