Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, did not attend the funeral of his father, Ali Khamenei, after Iranian security officials prevented him from appearing over serious concerns that he could be targeted in an assassination attempt, according to a report published today by The New York Times.

The report said Iranian authorities feared that Israel might use the public funeral either to assassinate Mojtaba Khamenei or to identify his whereabouts. The concerns came after his wife and son were killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strike on the opening day of Operation Rising Lion.

According to The New York Times, the funeral and the preparations surrounding it exposed unusually deep divisions within Iran’s ruling establishment. Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed his father’s successor in March, has not appeared in public since then, fueling growing questions within Iran’s political leadership about whether he can effectively govern the country while remaining out of public view.

The report also pointed to mounting tensions within Iran’s leadership over approval of the ceasefire memorandum of understanding with the Trump administration.

According to the report, Ali Khamenei struggled to decide whether to approve the agreement until Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly warned that he would resign if it was rejected. Pezeshkian also cautioned that Iran’s deteriorating economy, combined with the impact of the American naval blockade, would have devastating consequences if the conflict continued.

At the same time, Iran’s central bank governor reportedly sent an extraordinary letter warning of a severe budget crisis. The letter stated that if the blockade remained in place, the country could run out of essential food supplies and critical medical equipment by the end of August.

The report said those mounting political and economic pressures ultimately persuaded Mojtaba Khamenei to allow the agreement to move forward.

In a brief statement issued at the time, Mojtaba Khamenei said that although he opposed the agreement in principle, he would permit it to advance subject to approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The council subsequently approved the agreement by a vote of 12 to 1.