Who Will Attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral?
News Desk
Tehran: Iran has announced that senior government and political representatives from around 100 countries are expected to attend the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with authorities placing the country’s armed forces on high alert and implementing extraordinary security measures.
According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai said heads of state, parliamentary leaders, foreign ministers and special government representatives from across the world will participate in the funeral ceremonies.
Baghai said the official farewell ceremony will begin in Tehran at 8am on Friday, July 3, with foreign delegations and senior political figures also attending condolence events on the same day.
He described the occasion as significant not only for the Iranian people but also for the wider region, the Muslim world and the international community.
Iranian officials said delegations are expected from several countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Georgia, Cuba, Serbia, Tunisia, Congo, Ghana, Namibia, Myanmar, Thailand, Gambia and Nicaragua.
Brigadier General Mohammad Ekramnia told IRNA that security has been significantly strengthened in anticipation of the arrival of high-profile political, religious and government figures from around the world.
He said the army’s land, naval and air forces have been placed on high alert, border surveillance has been intensified, and Iran’s air defence system is monitoring the country’s airspace around the clock to ensure security during the ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi confirmed during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Iran on Friday to attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral prayers.
The prime minister will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with other members of the federal cabinet. Following his visit to Iran, Sharif is also scheduled to travel to Turkey.
Last month, during a joint appearance in Islamabad with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Prime Minister Sharif announced his intention to visit Tehran to express solidarity with the Iranian leadership and people.
According to IRNA, the funeral ceremonies will continue over several days. Farewell ceremonies will be held at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran on July 4 and 5, followed by the main funeral procession in the capital on July 6.
Subsequent funeral processions are scheduled in Qom on July 7 and Mashhad on July 9, where Ayatollah Khamenei will be laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine.
Iranian authorities estimate that between 15 million and 20 million people from within Iran and abroad could attend the ceremonies, prompting unprecedented security and traffic management measures.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was killed along with several members of his family during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, according to Iranian authorities. Several senior Iranian military commanders and advisers were also killed, including Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani and Major General Mohammad Pakpour.
