The coffin of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golbaykani, is displayed alongside the coffins of Khamenei and other members of his family.
As thousands gathered in Iran for the funeral of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, one of the most striking photos showed his 14-month-old granddaughter’s coffin on display alongside his own in Tehran.The baby was among several members of Khamenei’s family killed in the Israeli airstrike that occurred in the first moments of the war on February 28. Khamenei’s son-in-law, eldest daughter, and wife of Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were also honored during the ceremony.
Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in India honored the infant, saying: “Martyr Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.”
The little granddaughter of Ayatollah Khamenei, the martyr guide of the Islamic Revolution, who received martyrdom with him.”
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin was placed in Tehran’s Grand Mosque, where senior Iranian leaders, religious figures and foreign dignitaries paid their respects. Among those present were Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Footage broadcast by Iranian state media showed mourners dressed in black gathering to pray, with many throwing scarves and other personal items towards those present to be rubbed on the casket, a traditional practice in Iran believed to confer blessings.
The coffin was later draped with a red flag bearing the phrase “O Hussein,” a Shiite expression commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein.
The flag, which was brought from the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq, also symbolizes the blood of someone who was unjustly killed and a call for revenge in Shiite tradition.The authorities announced that Khamenei’s funeral will continue over several days, and his body is scheduled to be transported to multiple cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. Tehran is expected to witness widespread road closures and security measures, with thousands of mourners participating in the ceremony.Meanwhile, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s supreme leader, is likely to miss the funeral due to safety concerns.
