TEHRAN: Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a rare public appearance on Monday by attending the funeral procession of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian media reports.
The appearance is believed to be Ahmadinejad’s first major public event since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict on February 28.
Iranian media reported that the area surrounding Ahmadinejad’s residence came under attack during the opening days of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. A state-owned newspaper later reported that three of his bodyguards were killed in the strike.
Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. His controversial re-election in 2009 sparked nationwide protests over allegations of electoral fraud, although the results were strongly endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Relations between Ahmadinejad and Iran’s political establishment later deteriorated. In 2017, Khamenei publicly advised the former president not to contest the presidential election. Ahmadinejad ignored the advice and submitted his candidacy but was disqualified by the Guardian Council.
He was again barred from contesting the presidential elections held in 2021 and 2024, effectively preventing his return to elected office despite repeated attempts to re-enter Iranian politics.
