IRGC heavyweight resurfaces as Iran prepares days of mourning for Khamenei

General Ahmad Vahidi, a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has reappeared in public in Tehran ahead of the state funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking his first public appearance in months as Iran prepares for days of national mourning.Vahidi was seen on Thursday attending a meeting on the funeral arrangements and later sitting beside Khamenei's coffin, as the country readied ceremonies due to begin on Saturday.Photographs published by Iranian state media showed Vahidi participating in discussions over the funeral before attending a private mourning ceremony held near Khamenei's former residence in central Tehran.The appearance is significant as Vahidi had not been seen publicly since February 8, weeks before the Iran war began.Iranian state media also released footage from the ceremony held near the Husseiniyah at Khamenei's compound in Tehran. Khamenei's coffin was placed on a stage decorated with red tulips, while paper butterflies hung from the ceiling above it.The mourners, dressed in black and identified by state media as relatives of those killed in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, observed traditional mourning rituals by throwing scarves and other belongings towards attendants, who brushed them against the coffin before returning them.Beginning on Saturday, Iran will hold a multi-day state funeral for Khamenei. The ceremonies will start at Tehran's Grand Mosalla, with authorities expected to shut down major streets and much of the capital's daily activity. Khamenei's body will later be taken to several cities across Iran and neighbouring Iraq as part of the funeral procession.Vahidi's return to public view comes at a politically sensitive moment. Experts believe he has become one of the key figures shaping Iran's hardline position in negotiations over a possible permanent end to the war with the United States.He is also believed to be among a small group in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has reportedly remained in hiding after being wounded in the Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed his father, the elder Khamenei.According to Iranian state media, an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war on February 28 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family, triggering one of the most significant leadership transitions in the history of the Islamic Republic.Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.