Top Iranian leaders break down at Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi moved emotional during a farewell ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Friday, as the country began a week-long period of mourning for the late leader. The solemn ceremony held in Tehran’s Grand Mosque marked the beginning of large-scale funeral rites for Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli raids on February 28 this year. Parliament Speaker Qalibaf was visibly crying while Araghchi stood next to him while honoring him.
According to Press TV, the ceremony was attended by senior Iranian officials, heads of state and high-level delegations from all over the world. Among those present were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, and the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.India was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Governor of Bihar, Lieutenant General (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, who offered condolences on behalf of the country. The Iranian Embassy in India also recognized the presence of several Indian political figures, including Peoples Democratic Party Chairperson Mehbooba Mufti and Congress Party leader Salman Khurshid, at the honoring ceremony. Among the foreign dignitaries are Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, along with representatives of dozens of other countries.
Officials estimate that between 15 and 20 million mourners could participate in the funeral service, which lasts several days. The body is scheduled to lie in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosque before the funeral procession in the capital on Monday. The closing rites will continue in Qom, Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf before Khamenei is buried in Mashhad on July 9.