During the farewell and funeral proceedings for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi became emotional, and tears welled up in their eyes.
अली खामेनेई की विदाई, जनाजे पर फूट-फूटकर रोए गालिबाफ-अराघची
Leaders from across the globe have arrived in Tehran to bid a final farewell to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A deeply emotional scene unfolded during the farewell ceremony in Tehran when the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi broke down in tears. It is worth noting that Ayatollah Khamenei had died earlier this year, on February 28, in airstrikes carried out by the US and Israel.
Tehran Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian assured that robust security arrangements have been made for the martyred leader’s funeral procession and farewell ceremony. He stated, “The gates of Tehran’s Grand Musalla (prayer complex) will be opened to the public at exactly 6:00 AM on Saturday. No one will be permitted to enter before this time; people should plan their arrival accordingly.”
However, organizers have indicated that the gates could be opened slightly earlier than scheduled if the situation warrants it. Meanwhile, Baghdad Governor Atwan al-Atwani has announced that the entire city of Baghdad will shut down when the funeral procession arrives there from Tehran.
VIPs from across the world, including India and Russia, arrive in Tehran
A steady stream of world leaders and high-level delegations is arriving at Tehran’s Grand Musalla to pay tribute to Ayatollah Khamenei. According to Press TV, this marks the largest international gathering in Iran in recent years.
Representing India, Union Minister of State (MoS) Pabitra Margherita and the Governor of Bihar, Lieutenant General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain, arrived in Tehran on Friday. Sharing photos on the social media platform ‘X’, the Iranian Embassy in India wrote, “Indian dignitaries paid tribute to Iran’s martyred leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.” Several other leaders, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and Salman Khurshid—head of the Congress party’s foreign affairs department—were also seen in these images.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, also arrived in Tehran for this solemn occasion.
Key foreign dignitaries in attendance included:
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan; Iraqi President Nizar Amedi; Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir.
- Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region.
- Additionally, parliamentary speakers from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan.
- Foreign ministers from Nicaragua, the Congo, and Burkina Faso; the President of the Egyptian Senate; and the Speaker of the Omani Parliament.
- Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, the Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
- Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji.
Tehran’s doors closed to ‘aggressors’
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that heads of state (presidents or prime ministers) from at least eight countries and parliamentary speakers from 12 nations are participating in the ceremony. Public organizations and prominent figures from approximately 100 countries are also standing with Iran during this time of grief.
Baghaei clarified that while government delegations and parliamentarians from Eastern European countries are attending the farewell ceremony, invitations were not extended to those European nations that had openly supported military attacks by Israel and the US against Iran. To be laid to rest in Mashhad on July 9
According to the scheduled program, Ayatollah Khamenei’s mortal remains will lie in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Saturday and Sunday for public viewing. A funeral procession will be held on the streets of Tehran on Monday. Subsequent rituals will take place in the holy city of Qom. The body will then be taken to Karbala and Najaf, where people can bid farewell to Ali Khamenei. Finally, he will be laid to rest in the city of Mashhad on July 9.
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