Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made a shock public appearance, months after state media announced he was killed in the US-Iran war. Amadinejad was seen Monday among millions of mourners attending the funeral procession for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. During the opening days of the conflict earlier this year, several Iranian state-affiliated media outlets reported that Ahmadinejad had been killed after a missile reportedly struck near his home.
His photographed appearance at Monday's funeral marked the first confirmed public sighting of the former president since the conflict began. The funeral for Khamenei, who was killed during Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran's leadership in February, drew one of the largest crowds in the Islamic Republic's history. Iranian officials estimated that millions attended the procession through central Tehran, with senior government officials and military commanders joining mourners dressed in black. He was not seen or heard from in the months that followed, and no official confirmation or denial of his fate was issued by either Iran or Israel, leaving his status uncertain.
State television showed Khamenei's flag-draped coffin being carried through the capital as crowds chanted pro-regime slogans and called for revenge against the United States and Israel. Some demonstrators carried banners calling for the death of President Donald Trump and burned American and Israeli flags during the procession. Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, was seen walking among mourners wearing a dark jacket with a face mask pulled below his chin. His reappearance came after former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani were notably absent from the funeral ceremonies.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son, did not appear publicly during the procession. The funeral procession is expected to continue for several days before Khamenei is buried in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
