World Leaders Pay Final Respects to Khamenei in Tehran

Tehran (ANTARA) – A host of world leaders and official delegations from various regions continued to arrive in Tehran on Friday to pay their final respects to former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the official funeral processions began in the capital. Iranian state television broadcast the arrival of foreign leaders and delegations at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla complex in Tehran, the venue for the large-scale state and religious ceremony. At the site, guests offered their condolences and paid their respects before Khamenei’s body. Khamenei died in a combined United States and Israeli strike on Iran on 28 February. The event triggered a war lasting nearly three weeks and heightened tensions in the Middle East before a ceasefire was eventually reached through a US-Iran memorandum of understanding mediated by several regional countries. Foreign figures attending the ceremony included Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, who came as a special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin and subsequently took part in the honour ceremony. Also present were Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistani Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir. From Arab nations, attendees included Qatari Shura Council Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji, Omani State Council Chairman Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Khalili, and Yemeni Vice President Aidarus al-Zoubaidi. Central Asian delegations also attended the ceremony, including Turkmenistan’s National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Uzbek Parliament Speaker Nuriddin Ismoilov, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker Marlyn Mamataliyev, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev. Other senior officials paying their respects included Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Belarusian Lower House Chairman Igor Sergeyenko, Egyptian Senate Speaker Abdel Wahab Abdel Razek, and Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar. Also present were Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, and Republic of Congo Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso. Namibian Minister of Presidential Affairs Charles Mubita, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke, Serbian Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Bratina, and a Chinese delegation led by National People’s Congress Standing Committee Vice Chairman He Wei were also in attendance. Iranian media also reported the presence of Myanmar special envoy Tin Aung San, D-8 Secretary-General Seyed Soheil Mahmood, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation representative Ahmed Khokhar, a Bangladeshi delegation led by Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, and an Indian delegation led by Bihar Governor Ata Hasnain. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also attended the procession alongside a Shia Muslim group from Thailand and a Bulgarian political delegation. The Malaysian delegation was led by special envoy Datuk Seri Haji Mohamad bin Sabu, who also conveyed his respects to Khamenei. Representatives of various regional groups were also present, including Ziyad al-Nakhalah, senior Hezbollah officials, Yemeni representatives, Palestinian scholars, Lebanese political factions, and other allied groups. On the same day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Tehran and paid his respects, adding to the growing list of foreign delegations. Separately, Hezbollah held a memorial ceremony in Lebanon to honour Khamenei. Similar events were also reported to be taking place in Iraq and several other regional capitals. A spokesperson for the Iranian funeral committee said the official schedule for the funeral processions could still be subject to change. Although the main public honour ceremony is scheduled to begin on Saturday morning, authorities have opened the possibility of granting access to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla on Friday evening if conditions permit. According to the official schedule, the series of honour ceremonies will take place in Tehran throughout Friday and into the weekend, attended by heads of state, senior officials, and religious figures. Public honour ceremonies are scheduled for 4 and 5 July, followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on 6 July. The funeral proceedings will then move to the city of Qom on 7 July. On 8 July, ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Iraq, including in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala. The body will be received by religious and political figures before being taken to several Shia holy sites. The final funeral procession and burial are scheduled for 9 July at the Imam Ali Reza Shrine Complex in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of the holiest sites for Shia Muslims.