Iran Thanks Over 70 Countries for Attending Khamenei’s Funeral
Teheran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday (local time) thanked representatives from more than 70 countries for attending the funeral ceremonies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said their participation will remain an “eternal memory” in the history of Iran’s relations with these countries.
In a post shared on he said.
“And this historic commemoration will remain a lasting memory throughout our common relations,” he added.
These remarks come as Iran continues funeral ceremonies for Khamenei and thousands of mourners gather in Tehran to pay their last respects.
The funeral ceremony began at the Grand Imam Khomeini Musalla in Tehran and many mourners gathered, Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV reported.
According to Fars News, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Galibaf and Araghchi burst into tears at the farewell ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei in Tehran on Friday, as mourning ceremonies began for the late leader, who was killed in US-Israeli attacks on February 28 this year.
According to Press TV, senior Iranian officials, heads of state, foreign dignitaries and high-level delegations from around the world attended the ceremony held at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran to commemorate Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Galibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje’i and Chairman of the Good Council Ayatollah Sadiq Amoli Larijani were among the senior Iranian leaders present.
According to Press TV, foreign dignitaries included Turkmenistan People’s Council President Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of General Staff General Asim Münir and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
Speakers of parliament from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, foreign ministers of Nicaragua, Congo and Burkina Faso, the president of the Egyptian Senate, the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and the parliamentary speaker of Oman also attended the meeting.
India was represented at the funeral ceremony by Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Foreign Minister Pabitra Margherita.
Other participants included Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Council, Secretary General of the D-8 Economic Cooperation Organization, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev and delegations from many countries.
While the main funeral ceremony in Tehran is planned for Monday, ceremonies will continue in Qom on Tuesday and in Mashhad on Thursday, where Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza Shrine.
Private farewell and funeral ceremonies are also planned to be held in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, according to organizers.
Early Friday, heads of state, dignitaries and religious leaders from around the world arrived in Tehran to commemorate Khamenei.
According to Al Jazeera, more than 10 million people, including representatives from more than 100 countries, are expected to attend the funeral ceremonies.
The crowd is expected to be the largest since Iranians took to the streets in December and January to protest living conditions in the country, according to the New York Post.
