To commemorate the the 31st anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Iran from exile during the Iranian Revolution, Khomeini’s grandson and foremost descendant, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, hosts a gathering each year at Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum, of which he is the caretaker.

This year was no different. The ceremony on Feb. 1 was attended by top government officials celebrating Khomeini’s legacy and leadership. Hassan Khomeini, as the director of the facility and the living representative of Khomeini’s family and legacy, presided over the event. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and various members of his government attended the ceremonies.

However, to express his dissatisfaction, Hassan Khomeini left the ceremony before President Ahmadinejad delivered his speech, according to the opposition website Kaleme, which is affiliated with Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Hassan Khomeini has avoided any show of support for Ahmadinejad after the elections, skipping his inauguration ceremony and supporting Moussavi’s call for annulment of the June 2009 election results that declared Ahmadinejad the winner. His meeting with Ahmadinejad, in this context, may seem to be a sign of reconciliation.

But instead of staying for Ahmadinejad’s address, Seyyed Hassan paid a visit to the family of Alireza Beheshti, an opposition politician currently jailed by the government. Alireza Beheshti was opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi’s top advisor, and is the son of prominent revolutionary martyr Ayatollah Beheshti, killed in a bombing in 1981. Ayatollah Beheshti was also a close confidant of Ayatollah Khomeini.