Senior Iranian, foreign officials attend tribute ceremony of Iran's late supreme leader
Tehran, July 4
High-ranking Iranian and foreign officials paid their respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a ceremony in Tehran.
The tribute ceremony began on Friday morning at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla prayer hall in central Tehran and continued throughout the day, reports Xinhua news agency.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council Sadeq Amoli Larijani, and other senior officials attended the ceremony.
Foreign guests included heads of state, parliament speakers, and ministers from a number of countries. Among them were Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, as well as senior officials from China and Russia.
Religious figures, scholars, and tribal leaders also attended the ceremony.
Funeral ceremonies will continue through July 9, with processions in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, as well as rites in Iraq. Iranian authorities have announced public closures and airspace restrictions in Tehran and Mashhad on key dates, with Thursday declared a day of national mourning.
Ali Khamenei was killed in a US and Israeli strike in Tehran on Feb. 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader in March.
Meanwhile, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired), paid their tributes representing India at the funeral ceremony of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
"Governor of Bihar Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain and I represented India at the funeral ceremony for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, former Supreme Leader of Iran, in Tehran. Conveyed our respects on behalf of the government and the people of India," MoS Margherita wrote on social media platform X.
"The high-level representation in the ceremony underscores the importance of civilisational ties, including people-to-people connection, between the two countries, providing a robust foundation to political and economic engagements," a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Farewell ceremonies will be held at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla prayer hall in Tehran on July 4-5, followed by funeral procession ceremony in Tehran on July 6.
Another funeral procession ceremony will take place in Iran's Qom city on July 7.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian, I appreciate the government's decision to have a senior governor like Syed Ata Hasnain attend. Strong civilizational ties with Iran should be maintained, especially considering our energy needs and the strategic Chabahar port project. But I hope this doesn't create complications with our relationships with the US and Israel. 🤔
I'm not Indian, but I follow global news closely. This is a massive loss for Iran, and the presence of so many foreign dignitaries shows Khamenei's influence. India's participation makes sense given their long history with Iran. The public closures and airspace restrictions will cause disruptions, but that's expected during such a huge funeral.
India's presence at the ceremony is a diplomatic balancing act. On one hand, we need to maintain good ties with Iran for energy security and connectivity through Chabahar. On the other, we have close strategic ties with the US and Israel. The MEA's statement about "civilisational ties" is a safe way to frame this participation. Smart move overall. 🇮🇳🇮🇷
I feel terrible for the Iranian people. Losing a leader who held power for decades must be deeply destabilizing. The fact that he was killed in a US-Israeli strike will only deepen anti-Western sentiment in Iran. India's participation is respectful, but I hope the larger geopolitical implications don't pull India into a tricky position.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.