TEHRAN, Iran, July 3 (ANI) — Iran’s top leaders gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on Friday as the country began funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
The heads of Iran’s three branches of government were among those paying tribute to the late Supreme Leader. Those attending the farewell ceremony included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commander Mohsen Rezaee, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Indian dignitaries also paid tribute to Khamenei ahead of the formal state funeral ceremonies in Tehran.
The Embassy of Iran in India said in a post on X, “Indian dignitaries pay tribute to the martyred Leader of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”
The image shared by the embassy featured People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, Salman Khurshid, who heads the Congress Party’s foreign affairs department, and other delegates preparing to travel to Iran for the state funeral proceedings.
A delegation of Indian religious leaders also paid tribute to Khamenei before the official government delegation departed from New Delhi.
Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita left from his residence in New Delhi on Friday morning as India prepared to join international delegations attending the funeral. He is traveling with Bihar Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain to participate in the funeral ceremonies.
Leaders and representatives from across the world also arrived in Iran to pay their respects.
According to state broadcaster Press TV, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon were among the foreign leaders present. Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in Iran.
The families of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Imad Mughniyeh, and other commanders also attended the ceremony. Delegations representing Palestinian scholars, Lebanon’s Amal Movement, Oman, and Russia likewise paid tribute.
Press TV reported that He Wei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, and Igor Sergeyenko, chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus, met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Iran has begun the first stage of funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with foreign dignitaries and religious figures paying their respects at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla.
Heightened security concerns have affected the funeral arrangements. According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the representative in India for the current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend the funeral ceremonies for his father because of security threats.
The security situation remains tense following remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who previously said the late leader had been “marked for death.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that any operational threat against Iran’s current leadership would be met with immediate and forceful retaliation.
Senior Iranian military commanders also cautioned against any hostile action during the mourning period.
In a statement carried by domestic media, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned adversaries against miscalculation.
“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran… to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses of the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces to any threat or aggression,” he said.
Khamenei’s body, along with those of his companions, was transferred to Tehran’s Grand Mosalla early Friday and placed in the main prayer hall ahead of a two-day public farewell ceremony.
Before the ceremonies began, President Pezeshkian urged Iranians from all backgrounds to participate.
“As heroic Iran prepares to bid farewell to the sincere servant of Islam and the Revolution, I invite all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, political taste or orientation, to participate with enthusiasm, dignity and in historic numbers, demonstrating a lasting image of national unity and loyalty to the lofty ideals of the Islamic establishment,” he wrote on X.
According to Press TV, citing Iranian officials, the multi-day funeral is expected to draw between 15 million and 20 million mourners.
The state broadcaster reported that ceremonies will continue through the weekend, with Khamenei’s body lying in state at the Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday. Additional rites are scheduled in the holy city of Qom, followed by ceremonies in Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf in Iraq before the burial in Mashhad on July 9. (ANI)
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