The funeral and mourning ceremonies for Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially began on Saturday. According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, representatives from more than 100 countries are expected to attend.
Khamenei, aged 86, was killed on 28 February in a joint US–Israeli attack. That same day, US–Israeli aggression against Iran began. Forty days later, with Pakistan’s mediation, the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
On 17 June, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding, and they are now engaged in talks mediated by Qatar and Pakistan for a permanent peace agreement.
What is known about the ceremonies
Khamenei was initially scheduled to be buried in March, but the timeline was postponed due to the prolonged war against Iran.
On Friday, the official mourning and funeral ceremonies began in Tehran. Religious rituals and mourning processions will continue for seven days across cities in Iran and Iraq.
Most foreign leaders are expected to attend Friday’s main ceremony. On Saturday and Sunday, public mourning events will be held in Tehran. During this time, Khamenei’s coffin will be placed alongside coffins of several family members in the courtyard of the Grand Mosalla mosque, allowing ordinary citizens to pay their final respects.
On Monday and Tuesday, the mourning procession will move south toward the holy city of Qom. On Wednesday, Khamenei’s body will arrive at Najaf International Airport in Iraq. Public mourning processions will then be held in Najaf and Karbala, where people will also pay their respects.
Finally, the body will be returned to Iran. Next Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his birthplace, in northeastern Iran.
Which countries are sending heads of state or government?
Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral as the country played a key role in mediating US–Iran talks, including the April ceasefire and the June memorandum of understanding, which now forms the basis for broader discussions on ending the war.
Tajikistan: President Emomali Rahmon will attend.
Armenia: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will represent his country.
Georgia: President Mikheil Kavelashvili will also attend, according to the Georgian government.
Which countries are sending other senior government leaders?
Turkey: Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz will join the funeral programme.
India: India’s delegation includes Deputy Foreign Minister Margarita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain, who is the most senior Shia figure currently holding a government post in India. Former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti are also part of the delegation.
China: He Wei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, will attend, according to China’s foreign ministry.
Russia: Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president and prime minister, will attend, the Kremlin confirmed.
Afghanistan: Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in Tehran on Thursday. Afghan media reported that Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar will also attend.
Bangladesh: A delegation led by Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has traveled to Tehran, according to government sources cited in Bangladeshi media.
Khamenei’s farewell is expected to be one of the largest state funerals in modern history, with organisers anticipating a scale surpassing that of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in 1989, which drew nearly 10 million people.
For security reasons, Iran’s current supreme leader and Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Ali Khamenei, will not attend the ceremonies. Iran’s ambassador to India confirmed this, citing recent threats against Mojtaba from Israel.
