More than 100 countries to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral

Representatives from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the state funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which begins on Friday, according to state-linked broadcaster IRIB.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will skip the funeral ceremonies of his father, citing security concerns, while India is sending an official delegation led by Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita.

Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly four decades, was killed at the age of 86 in a joint US-Israeli air strike on his compound on Feb 28, the first day of the war on Iran. The funeral was delayed as the war continued.

The week-long commemoration will begin in Tehran on Friday and include funeral ceremonies and processions across Iran and I,raq. Friday’s event is expected to be attended by most foreign dignitaries.

Public ceremonies will be held in Tehran on Saturday and Sunday, when Khamenei’s coffin, alongside those of several of his family members, will be placed at the Grand Mosalla, one of Iran’s largest prayer complexes, for public viewing.

On Monday and Tuesday, the funeral processions will move south towards the Iranian city of Qom. On Wednesday, an official reception will be held at Najaf International Airport in Iraq, followed by public processions in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.

The body will then return to Iran for the final burial ceremony on Friday at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where Khamenei was born.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday paid his respects at Khamenei’s remains alongside other officials, including the country’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. State television showed Pezeshkian praying at Khamenei’s coffin, where a black turban, worn by clerics to signify descent from the Prophet Mohammed, had been placed.

Pakistan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Georgia are sending their heads of state or government for the funeral.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also arrived in Tehran on Friday to attend the ceremonies.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili will also attend the commemoration.

Turkiye, India, China, Russia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are sending senior government representatives.

India’s delegation includes Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti are also part of the Indian delegation.

Visuals shared by the Iranian Embassy showed a delegation of religious leaders from India paying their respects to the deceased Supreme Leader. Visuals shared by Mehbooba Mufti also showed the Indian delegation paying tribute to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

China will be represented by senior lawmaker He Wei, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Russia is sending Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and prime minister.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Taliban government’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had travelled to Tehran to attend the funeral. Afghan media reported that First Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar would also attend.

Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed is also scheduled to attend the funeral, according to Bangladeshi media citing official notifications.

Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend the funeral ceremonies of his father because of security concerns, according to his representative in India, Ayatollah Hakim Elahi.

Elahi attributed the decision to Israeli threats and surveillance risks that would make public attendance dangerous, ANI reported.