Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remained absent as funeral prayers for his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were held early on July 5, more than four months after he was killed during US-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in the Middle East.Prayers were led by Grand Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani, one of Iran's most senior Shi'ite clerics.State media said the funeral prayers would be held in three stages: first for Ali Khamenei, followed by prayers for family members also killed in the same US-Israeli strike, including his daughter, his daughter-in-law -- Mojtaba Khamenei's wife, Zahra Haddad Adel -- and his 14-month-old granddaughter.Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been widely described by Iranian media as an ayatollah and was named supreme leader shortly after his father's death, was absent from the ceremony despite the tradition that each successor leads funeral prayers for his predecessor -- a role analysts see as reinforcing the legitimacy of the succession.He has not been seen in public since he was reportedly injured in the same attack that killed his father on February 28, and no known audio or video recordings of him have been released in the intervening months, raising questions about his health and his ability to carry out his duties as supreme leader.