Qatar and Saudi Arabia Attend Khamenei's Funeral in Iran Amid Regional Tensions

A number of international guests attended the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran. Qatar and Saudi Arabia sent delegations to pay their final respects to Khamenei. Saudi Arabia and Qatar dispatched official delegations despite their relations with Iran having heated up after Tehran repeatedly launched retaliatory attacks on United States facilities in the two countries. Tehran also launched counter-strikes that hit vital energy facilities in Gulf states, raising Arab nations’ concerns over Iran’s regional hegemony and its attempts to disrupt global energy distribution routes. The Speaker of the Shura Council of Qatar represented Doha in Tehran to pay respects to the body of Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia sent a six-member delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji. In addition to the delegations from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, several prominent figures from other countries also attended Khamenei’s funeral. These included Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Also present were Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference He Wei, as well as ministers serving as delegates from Malaysia, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Representatives of the Taliban, the Houthis, and Hamas were also in attendance. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government had been invited to the funeral procession for Khamenei. The government expressed its appreciation for the invitation. The government appointed the Indonesian Ambassador to Tehran, Rolliansyah Soemirat, to attend as its representative. Iran reportedly conveyed its appreciation for the government’s decision to designate the Ambassador to represent Indonesia.