Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday expressed gratitude to representatives from more than 70 countries for attending the funeral ceremonies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing their participation as an everlasting memory in the history of Iran's relations with those nations.
Araghchi's Statement on X
In a post on X, Araghchi stated, "Iran is pleased to have received representatives from more than seventy countries who chose to participate in honouring our Supreme Leader, the martyr, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, including our loyal Arab brothers among them." He added, "And this historic commemoration will remain an everlasting memory in the course of our shared relations."
Funeral Ceremonies in Tehran
The remarks came as Iran continued funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, with thousands of mourners gathering in Tehran to pay their final respects. According to Iran's state broadcaster Press TV, the funeral ceremony began at Tehran's Grand Imam Khomeini Mosalla and drew massive crowds. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Araghchi broke down in tears during the farewell ceremony on Friday, as reported by Fars News. Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 this year.
Dignitaries in Attendance
Senior Iranian officials present included President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje'i, and Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani. Foreign dignitaries included Turkmenistan's chairman of the People's Council Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir, and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. Parliament speakers from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan, foreign ministers of Nicaragua, Congo, and Burkina Faso, the president of Egypt's Senate, the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, and Oman's parliament speaker also attended.
India was represented by Governor of Bihar Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita. Other attendees included Shanghai Cooperation Council Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev, the secretary general of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, the deputy secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Turkey's Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and delegations from several other countries.
Upcoming Ceremonies
The main funeral procession in Tehran is scheduled for Monday, with ceremonies continuing in Qom on Tuesday and Mashhad on Thursday, where Khamenei will be laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine. Special farewell ceremonies are also planned in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday. According to Al Jazeera, more than 10 million people, including representatives from over 100 countries, are expected to participate in the funeral ceremonies. The crowds are projected to be the largest since Iranians protested living conditions in December and January, as per the New York Post.
