Representatives from over 100 countries around the world are participating in Khamenei’s final farewell ceremony, including top leaders

The official farewell and funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Friday, with representatives from more than 100 countries expected to attend, according to Iranian state media. The seven-day program is being described as one of the largest state mourning events in modern history. In addition to ceremonies across Iran, special religious observances are also planned in several Iraqi cities. Most foreign heads of state, government leaders, and senior officials are attending the opening events in Tehran. The funeral, originally planned for March, was postponed due to the prolonged conflict. Public memorial gatherings will be held at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla over the weekend, after which the funeral procession will travel through Qom before continuing to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq for additional commemorations. The body will then return to Iran for the final burial next Friday at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, the city where Khamenei was born. Leaders and senior representatives attending include Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, senior Indian officials including Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain, Chinese legislator He Wei, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, as well as Bangladesh’s Parliament Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed. Observers believe the ceremonies could become one of the largest public funeral events in recent history, potentially surpassing the massive turnout witnessed during Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in 1989. Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor, is not expected to appear publicly during the ceremonies due to heightened security concerns.