Tehran: Top Iranian and foreign officials paid tribute to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a ceremony in Tehran.
According to news agency Xinhua, the tribute ceremony began Friday morning at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayer hall in central Tehran and continued throughout the day. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, Expediency Discernment Council Chairman Sadeq Amoli Larijani, and other senior officials attended the ceremony.
Foreign guests included heads of state, parliament speakers, and ministers from several countries. These included Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Nechirvan Barzani, as well as senior officials from China and Russia.
Religious figures, scholars, and tribal leaders also attended the ceremony.
Funeral rites will continue until July 9, with processions in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, as well as ceremonies in Iraq. Iranian authorities have announced public closures and airspace restrictions in Tehran and Mashhad on specific dates, and Thursday has been declared a day of national mourning.
Ali Khamenei was killed in a US and Israeli attack in Tehran on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was elected Iran’s new Supreme Leader in March.
Meanwhile, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Pavitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) paid homage on behalf of India at the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
MoS Margherita wrote on the social media platform X, “Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain and I paid homage on behalf of India at the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran. I paid my homage on behalf of the Government and the people of India.”
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The high-level representation at the ceremony reflects the importance of civilizational ties, including people-to-people connections, between the two countries, which provide a strong foundation for political and economic engagement.” A farewell ceremony will be held on July 4-5 at Imam Khomeini’s Mosalla prayer hall in Tehran, followed by a funeral ceremony in Tehran on July 6.
Another funeral ceremony will be held on July 7 in the Iranian city of Qom.
