Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was reported dead weeks ago, has reappeared in public at the funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, was declared deceased by Iranian news outlets on the day the ongoing war began, following airstrikes attributed to Israeli and U.S. forces targeting Tehran's leadership.
He was believed to have been killed when a missile struck near his home and had not been seen or heard from publicly since. On Monday, July 6, 2026, Ahmadinejad was photographed among a crowd of mourners gathered for Khamenei's funeral in Tehran. He was seen wearing a jacket with a mask pulled down to his neck.
The funeral procession featured the flag-draped coffin of Khamenei and those of his family members, who were killed on February 28 in an airstrike. The event drew a massive turnout, which Iranian authorities encouraged as a display of strength amid ongoing negotiations with the U.S. for a permanent end to the war.
Helicopter footage broadcast on Iranian state television showed a vast crowd extending for miles. The turnout appeared to exceed that of the 2020 funeral for General Qassem Soleimani, which drew over one million people. Authorities did not provide an immediate crowd estimate.
Many attendees carried placards and banners calling for former U.S. President Trump's death. U.S. federal authorities have monitored Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years, stemming from Trump's 2020 order to kill Soleimani. Iran has consistently denied plotting to assassinate Trump, although hard-line propaganda has suggested he was a target.
The U.S. is seeking to advance negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curtailing Tehran's nuclear program, and establishing a permanent end to the war. Talks have reportedly been paused until after Khamenei's burial.
The funeral serves partly as a demonstration of unity as Iran seeks greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy waterway that was closed during the war. The U.S. has rejected these demands, and significant disagreements persist on other issues, including the nuclear program and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, has not yet appeared during the multi-day funeral ceremonies. He is reportedly in hiding after allegedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. Israel reportedly targeted top Iranian leaders during the war, at times using their public appearances to locate them, and has also issued threats against the younger Khamenei.