Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi got emotional during the farewell ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran , as Iran commenced a week-long period of national mourning.
The solemn ceremony, held at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, marked the start of the late leader’s funeral rites following his death in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 this year. Ghalibaf was seen in tears while Araghchi stood beside him as the two leaders paid their final respects.
According to Press TV, the ceremony was attended by senior Iranian officials, heads of state, and high-level delegations from several countries. Among those present were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje’i, and Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani.
India was represented at the ceremony by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, who conveyed the country’s condolences. The Iranian Embassy in India also acknowledged the presence of several Indian political leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, at the tribute ceremony.
The Embassy of Iran in India, in a post on X, said, “Indian Dignitaries Pay Tribute to the Martyred Leader of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”
Among the foreign dignitaries in attendance were Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, along with representatives from dozens of other countries.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday said, “We have high-level delegations from neighbouring countries. At least eight heads of government, including presidents or prime ministers, and parliamentary speakers from 12 countries will attend,” adding “Many other countries will be represented at the level of foreign ministers, other ministers, or special envoys.”
Officials estimate that between 15 and 20 million people are expected to participate in the multi-day funeral ceremonies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body will lie in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through the capital on Monday.
The final rites will then continue in Qom, Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf before Khamenei is laid to rest in Mashhad on July 9.
