Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi thanked the foreign delegations that attended Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral. In a message he posted in Arabic on X, Araghchi said, "We are pleased to host representatives from more than 70 countries who chose to attend the commemoration ceremony of our martyred leader Ayatollah Khamenei. This historic commemoration will remain an eternal memory in the course of our mutual relations."
Allegedly, the funeral ceremonies began on July 3 at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran and will continue until July 9. Millions of people reportedly attended, and many senior foreign officials paid their respects.
Claims of broad participation from regional countries
Among those reportedly attending were Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and a senior Chinese representative.
Delegations from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, India, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestine were also said to be present at the ceremony. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev was also claimed to be among the attendees.
Another claim alleged that the US waged an intensive campaign to deter countries from attending the funeral.
However, the claim that Ayatollah Khamenei has died has not been verified by independent sources. No statement on the matter has been issued by Iranian official authorities either.