The chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi paid his respects in Tehran before the body of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, his first public appearance since the start of the Middle East war, footage broadcast by Iranian media showed, AFP reports.

Vahidi — who has maintained a low-profile since the beginning of the war, probably to avoid being assassinated like his predecessor — laid his hand on the coffin and prayed, a photo shared by the Fars news agency showed.

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