Why did Mojtaba Khamenei not attend his father's funeral?

Farewell ceremonies for the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei are ongoing in Iran. Funeral events organized across five cities of the country are scheduled to continue until July 9.

However, the current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared at the farewell ceremonies for his father so far. Nur.kz reported this, citing information from The New York Times.

Previously, Akbar Purjamshidiyon, head of the committee organizing Ali Khamenei's funeral, stated that deciding whether Mojtaba Khamenei would participate in the ceremony was not within his authority.

According to two anonymous sources within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cited by The New York Times, Mojtaba Khamenei's security service expressed concerns that his public appearance could lead to a potential assassination attempt by Israel or reveal his secret location via his movement route. Consequently, he was not permitted to attend the funeral ceremonies.

The publication noted that Mojtaba Khamenei expressed a desire to participate in certain parts of the ceremony. Specifically, he planned to attend the ceremony scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad to recite funeral prayers for his father.

So far, Iranian officials have not provided an official comment or statement regarding Mojtaba Khamenei's absence from the funeral ceremonies.