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

Khamenei’s coffin readied as Iran prepares for seven-day funeral

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.

What do we know about the commemoration itself?

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.

Which countries are sending other senior government leaders?

What else do we know about the funeral proceedings?

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.