Iran's supreme leader is not attending funeral prayers in Tehran

A prayer ceremony was held early Sunday morning in Tehran for the late supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three of his sons were present at the event, which took place in the Iranian capital.

However, Khamenei's designated successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, was not in attendance at the ceremony. Sunday was declared a public holiday in Iran as the country marked the beginning of a week-long funeral period for Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for 37 years.

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death to the USA

During the pre-prayer proceedings, poet Mohammad Rasouli took the stage, calling for "death to the USA" and "death to Israel." According to AP, attendees cheered when Rasouli stated that "the world is no longer a good place" for U.S. President Donald Trump and questioned why Trump was still alive.

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death to Israel

Attendees at the funeral are reportedly being sprayed with water due to an impending heatwave expected to bring temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) to Tehran in the coming days. Khamenei's body lies in state at the Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran, alongside the caskets of four family members who died in attacks in February.

The funeral procession is scheduled to move through Tehran on Monday. Ceremonies will also take place in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday, followed by events in Najaf and Karbala in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday. The final burial ceremonies are planned for Thursday in Khamenei's hometown.

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the world is no longer a good place