The Islamic Republic of Iran is entering a new political era as Iranians on Thursday prepared to bury their slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
His son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still remains hidden from public view after being disfigured in the US air strike that killed his father when the Iran war began on February 28.
The younger Khamenei — the Islamic Republic's third supreme leader since the 1979 Revolution — was conspicuously absent from even the official mourning ceremonies for his father.
This leadership transition in Iran represents far more than a simple change at the top of the state.
It is the culmination of a profound institutional transformation that unfolded during Ali Khamenei's nearly four decades in power.What is Khamenei's funeral revealing about Iran?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
