Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jul 4: Iran on Saturday began the funeral ceremonies for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with thousands of mourners, senior Iranian officials and international dignitaries gathering in Tehran to pay their final respects.
The solemn ceremony witnessed emotional scenes as Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were seen in tears during the farewell proceedings.
According to Iran's Fars News Agency, Tehran Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said extensive security measures had been implemented to ensure the ceremonies concluded peacefully. He stated that authorities had arranged the highest level of security for the event and announced that the gates of Tehran's Grand Mosalla Prayer Grounds would open at 6 a.m. local time, while noting that the schedule could be adjusted depending on the situation.
The report added that authorities in Baghdad declared a citywide shutdown to facilitate funeral-related processions honouring the late Iranian leader. The decision was announced by Baghdad Governor Atwan Al-Atwani.
India was represented at Friday's ceremony by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Syed Ata Hasnain. The Embassy of Iran in India shared images from the event on X, highlighting the participation of Indian representatives along with Mehbooba Mufti, Congress leader Salman Khurshid and several other attendees.
Russia also sent a senior delegation led by Dmitry Medvedev, whose visit to Tehran was confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Iran's state broadcaster Press TV reported that the ceremony at Tehran's Grand Mosalla Prayer Grounds was attended by the country's top leadership, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje'i and Expediency Council Chairman Sadegh Amoli Larijani.
A number of foreign leaders also participated in the funeral, including Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Nikol Pashinyan, Emomali Rahmon, Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir and Nechirvan Barzani.
Delegations from numerous other countries were also present, including parliamentary speakers from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, as well as foreign ministers from Nicaragua, Congo and Burkina Faso. Other attendees included Egypt's Senate president, the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, the Speaker of Oman's Parliament, Nurlan Yermekbayev, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al Khereiji.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the funeral had drawn broad international participation, with heads of government, parliamentary leaders, ministers and special envoys from nearly 100 countries attending the ceremonies. He also noted that nations which had officially supported military action by Israel and the United States against Iran had not been invited.
According to Press TV, Iranian authorities expect between 15 and 20 million people to take part in the multi-day mourning events, making it one of the country's largest international gatherings in recent years.
Further memorial ceremonies are scheduled to be held in Qom, Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf, with the final burial planned in Mashhad on July 9.