By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir paid their respects on Friday at the coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Tehran opened a week of funeral rites for the man who led the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades.
Sharif and Munir travelled separately to the Iranian capital and were filmed by state television standing before the flag-draped coffin inside the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, the vast prayer complex in central Tehran where Khamenei’s body was brought early on Friday ahead of two days of public viewing.
Khamenei, who was 86, was martyred alongside several family members in a joint US-Israeli air strike on his compound on Feb. 28, the opening day of a war between Iran and the two countries. His daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and a grandchild died in the same strike, along with senior military figures including Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader.
The funeral, originally planned for March, was delayed for months as the conflict continued. It is going ahead after Pakistan and Qatar helped broker a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran that has underpinned a fragile pause in the fighting since June.
Sharif landed in Tehran on a one-day visit and was received at Mehrabad Airport by Iran’s interior minister, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran and senior diplomats from both countries, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. He was accompanied by a delegation that included National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The prime minister’s office said Sharif would convey condolences on behalf of the Pakistani government and people to Iran’s leadership and to Khamenei’s bereaved relatives, and reaffirm what it called Pakistan’s complete solidarity with Iran. Sharif is due to travel on to Turkey later in his trip, the office said.
Munir, who arrived separately, was received by Iranian officials including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, according to Pakistani state broadcaster PTV. Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani also flew to Tehran earlier on Friday with a separate high-level delegation to attend the ceremonies, PTV reported.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a central mediator between Washington and Tehran since the war began, hosting talks in Islamabad and maintaining contact with Iranian officials even as it balances relations with Gulf states.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also paid his respects at the coffin on Friday, state television showed, praying beside a black turban placed on the casket to signify descent from the Prophet Mohammad. He was joined by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a lead negotiator with Washington, who urged Iranians to turn out for Saturday’s ceremonies. Also present was Ahmad Vahidi, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, making his first public appearance since the war began in February.
Iranian officials have said representatives from more than 100 countries are expected over the course of the funeral, including senior figures from China, Russia, India, Turkey, Afghanistan and several Central Asian and South Caucasus states. Officials have estimated that between 15 million and 20 million mourners could take part in total, which would make it the largest state funeral in Iran’s history.
Khamenei’s body is scheduled to remain at the Grand Mosalla for public viewing through the weekend before processions move to the city of Qom early next week. The coffin will then travel to the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, before returning to Iran for burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, the northeastern city where Khamenei was born.
It remains unclear whether Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, will appear at any point during the funeral. He was wounded in the February strike that killed his father and has not been seen in public since, with a representative citing security concerns for his likely absence.
U.S.-Iran talks on ending the war, mediated in part by Pakistan and Qatar, have paused for the duration of the funeral, though officials from both sides have said some progress was made in discussions before the pause.
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