Iran’s Khamenei funeral: Which world leaders are attending? 

Representatives from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which starts on Friday, according to Iranian state-linked news broadcaster IRIB.

Khamenei was killed aged 86 in a joint United States-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28, the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran.

We take a look at some of the major countries and representatives expected to participate in the ceremony.

While Khamenei’s burial was initially scheduled for March, it was delayed as the war on Iran dragged on.

The commemoration will begin in Tehran on Friday, and funeral ceremonies and processions will run for seven days, with religious rites planned in cities across Iran and Iraq.

The event on Friday is the one most foreign leaders will attend.

On Saturday and Sunday, public ceremonies will take place in Tehran. The coffin of Khamenei alongside several of his family members will be placed in the Grand Mosalla, one of Iran’s largest prayer complexes, for public viewing.

On Monday and Tuesday, the funeral processions will move southwards towards the Iranian city of Qom. On Wednesday, an official reception will be held at Najaf International Airport in Iraq, followed by public processions in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, according to Iranian and Iraqi leaders.

The body will then return to Iran for the final burial ceremony at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Friday. Mashhad is also where Khamenei was born.

• Pakistan: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. Pakistan has played a central role in mediating between the US and Iran, helping secure the ceasefire in April and a memorandum of understanding in June that is now serving as the basis for broader negotiations aimed at ending the war.
• Tajikistan: President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon will also attend the funeral.
• Armenia: Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will represent his country at the commemoration.
• Georgia: Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili will also attend the commemoration, the country has confirmed.

• Turkiye: Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz will attend Khamenei’s funeral, Ankara has confirmed.
• India: India said on Thursday that its deputy foreign minister and a state governor would represent the country at the state funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Governor of Bihar, Syed Ata Hasnain, and Deputy Foreign Minister Pabitra Margherita will visit Iran on Friday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Hasnain, a former lieutenant general in the Indian Army, is the seniormost Shia holding a public office in India. Indian opposition leaders Salman Khurshid — a former foreign minister — and Mehbooba Mufti are also part of the country’s delegation.
• China: Senior Chinese lawmaker He Wei will attend the funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. He is a vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament.
• Russia: Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev will attend the ceremony on Friday, the Kremlin confirmed on Thursday. Medvedev is a former Russian president and prime minister.
• Afghanistan: The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Taliban government’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had travelled to Tehran on Thursday to attend the state funeral. Afghan media reported that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the first deputy prime minister for economic affairs, would also attend the state funeral.
• Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s Parliament Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed is scheduled to attend the state funeral in Tehran, according to Bangladeshi media citing official notifications.

The proceedings will mark one of the largest public funerals in modern history, its scale and size expected to surpass the 1989 funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew about 10 million mourners.

Iran’s current supreme leader and son of Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamanei, will not be attending the funeral, his representative to India said on Thursday. This is due to security reasons following Israel’s latest threat to assassinate Mojtaba Khamenei.

An Iranian military commander warned the US and Israel on Thursday against any attack on Iran as it prepares for the state funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in air strikes on the first day of the war.

“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country,” Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.