By Pishtaz | 2026-07-17

The Islamic Republic concluded an unprecedented, weeklong state funeral on July 9, marking a significant departure from standard Islamic burial rituals.

This farewell process was remarkably notable for taking far longer than customary to bury Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mourners were seen during the processions spanning Tehran and Qom, while official broadcasts loudly blared fierce messages of retaliation.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the declared leader, emerged as the only son conspicuously absent from these high-profile public ceremonies.

His physical no-show naturally sparked intense international speculation about his actual health, potential assassination and the theocracy's overall stability.

The ruling establishment seemed desperately eager to maintain a heavily managed public facade that he was alive and actively leading.

Before this procession, Mojtaba also deliberately stayed away from his own wife's memorial service to everyone's surprise.

This prolonged, mysterious public disappearance severely narrows the critical decision-making space for increasingly anxious political elites and security officials.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is now aggressively dictating all major political maneuvers while the civilian government remains completely powerless.

Heavy security forces completely dominated the funeral routes to project absolute state control and forcefully suppress potential public disruptions.

This growing institutional rift highlights a deeply brittle regime that increasingly relies on military might to mask profound internal fractures.

Deepening structural divisions leave the fractured state highly vulnerable as senior political figures panic over who truly controls the country.

The civilian ministries have been sidelined completely, leaving armed generals to dictate all security parameters without oversight.

This unprecedented military takeover confirms the ultimate irrelevance of Islamic Republic's traditional constitutional executive bodies.

Foreign observers note that visible panic among top administrators signals a chaotic transition process that could trigger violent unrest.

The coming weeks will determine whether the powerful military command can successfully maintain this fragile illusion of total state continuity.