Mojtaba Khamenei to skip father Ali Khamenei's funeral over security concerns: Report

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojataba Khamenei will not attend the funeral ceremonies for his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, due to security concerns, according to the current leader's representative in India, Ayatollah Hakim Elahi.

Elahi attributed the decision to Israeli threats and surveillance risks that would make public attendance dangerous.



Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a sharp warning to the United States, urging President Donald Trump to "muzzle its pets" in Israel after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was "marked for death".

In a post on X, Araghchi said the United States had committed itself under the terms of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached to end the hostilities in West Asia, as well as restraining Israel, warning that any threat against Iran's leadership would draw an immediate response.

"The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see. POTUS has committed the U.S. to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them. Any threat against our People and Leadership will receive Immediate Powerful Response," Araghchi said in the post while sharing the text of Katz's remarks from a report.

His remarks came after Israeli Defence Minister Katz on Monday reportedly referred to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and said he was "marked for death".



Katz also called the Iranians "good merchants", attempting to extract concessions during negotiations and reiterated that Israel would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

"If they do it through an agreement, all the better," Katz said, as per the text shared by Araghchi.

Earlier on July 1, Qatar and Pakistan concluded separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha, with "positive progress" reported on issues related to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

In a post on X, Majed Al Ansari, adviser to Qatar's prime minister and official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader.

Iranian authorities are holding funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from July 4 through July 9 across locations in Iran and Iraq. Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the opening day of the US-Israel war with Iran on February 28.