Cairo: He was the grandson of an influential Shiite cleric, born in Qom — the centre of religious scholarship in Iran — and raised in a traditional family that embraced the country's theocratic system.
But by his late 20s, he had stopped praying and rejected clerical rule. Now in his mid-30s, the tech worker says he can barely discuss politics or religion with his father and siblings.
He believes Iranian society is deeply divided, even among opponents of the Islamic Republic, and blames one man for the growing rift — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, will be laid to rest on Thursday after being killed at the outset of the war.
Large funeral processions in Tehran and other cities drew huge crowds of supporters, showcasing the strength of hardliners at the core of the Islamic Republic. They hailed Khamenei as a defender of clerical rule who stood up to the West and Israel.
Beneath those displays, however, lies deep public discontent fuelled by decades of political repression, international sanctions and economic mismanagement. The divisions have widened further since authorities killed thousands of anti-government protesters in January.
"A gap has opened up in homes across the country that is truly remarkable," the tech worker said by phone from Tehran, where he now lives. Like others interviewed by The Associated Press, he spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Funeral highlights Iran's divisions
Khamenei's death in Israeli strikes on February 28 has cemented his legacy among Iran's rulers and supporters, who regard him as a martyr.
Echoing hardline slogans opposing negotiations with the United States, some mourners called for the killing of US President Donald Trump in retaliation.
"Our goal is to prove to the world that we will not submit to oppression and tyranny, and that we will avenge the blood of our leader," said Hossein Akbari, a 60-year-old mourner in Tehran.
Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the US-backed Shah.
Under the banner of resisting the West, Khamenei expanded Iran's nuclear programme, missile arsenal and network of allied militant groups across the region despite sweeping international sanctions.
Domestically, he consolidated hardline clerical rule by weakening the reform movement and granting the Revolutionary Guard extensive military, political and economic influence. As younger Iranians pushed for greater freedoms, authorities tightened restrictions on personal behaviour and dress codes.
2009 protests marked a turning point
Many observers consider the crackdown on the 2009 protests, sparked by allegations of election fraud, to be a defining moment in Khamenei's rule. Dozens were killed as security forces crushed one of the country's largest protest movements.
The crackdown created widespread hopelessness, according to an Iranian activist and former political prisoner who now writes for a reformist-leaning publication in Tehran.
Last month, Ali Rabiei, a senior aide to reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, acknowledged that Iran was "severely polarised" between staunch supporters of the Islamic Republic and those seeking its collapse.
Rabiei said a significant section of society remained between the two extremes and could support gradual reform within the existing system.
Although reliable opinion polling is scarce in Iran, election turnout provides some indication of public sentiment.
Participation in the most recent presidential election fell to one of its lowest levels, suggesting many Iranians had lost faith in the electoral process. Even so, hardline candidates secured 13.5 million votes, while Pezeshkian received 16.3 million.
January crackdown leaves lasting scars
Successive waves of protests since 2009 have been met with violent crackdowns. January's unrest proved the deadliest, with security forces killing thousands during nationwide demonstrations that began over economic hardship before expanding into calls for Khamenei's removal.
The sister of a protester killed in Tehran on January 9 described Khamenei's legacy in a single word: "injustice."
She said worsening economic conditions had made life even harder for working-class families.
"Workers can barely afford to buy bread. Everything is so expensive," she said.
"Since my sister died, our lives have fallen apart mentally and financially. All we do is look at her photos and videos and cry. What do we have left?" she said from her home in eastern Iran.
A quieter form of dissent also emerged during Ashoura commemorations, with videos on social media showing some Iranians carrying photographs of relatives killed during the January crackdown while participating in religious processions.
Uncertainty clouds Iran's future
Despite Khamenei's death and the extensive US-Israeli military campaign, the Islamic Republic has survived. The leadership emerged from the conflict with an interim agreement with the United States that offered immediate relief and the prospect of sanctions being lifted if a final nuclear deal is reached.
"It's a victory for the Islamic Republic," said a 35-year-old woman who participated in the January protests. "But for Iran's people, we won't know what it means until we see the results."
She expressed concern about the widening divisions within Iranian society and among opponents of the theocratic system.
"The space for dialogue is very limited — and I don't mean only the government. I mean the people," she said.
A 33-year-old former tech employee in Tehran, who also joined the January protests, said the country's economic collapse remained his biggest concern.
"All of us, frankly, are just trying to stay alive. Our entire struggle is about meeting basic needs like rent and food," he said.
Challenges remain for the Islamic Republic
Rebin Rahmani, a Kurdish activist who was once imprisoned in Iran and now lives in Paris, said the leadership under Khamenei had responded to mounting political and economic challenges primarily through repression.
"Its insistence on iron-fisted, security-driven approaches will only trigger further unrest," said Rahmani, director of the Kurdish Human Rights Network. "The protests are reigniting every few years with renewed force."
President Pezeshkian and other pragmatists hope negotiations with Washington will lead to sanctions relief and economic recovery. They currently appear to have the backing of Khamenei's son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding but has expressed cautious support for continued talks in a written statement.
Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, said the real test of Khamenei's legacy may come in peacetime as competing factions seek to shape the future of the Islamic Republic.
"Wartime gave the system a degree of cohesion under shared duress. But the governance challenges remain just as stark," he said.