Official delegations from several countries arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to attend funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Iranian state television IRIB aired live footage showing funeral ceremonies getting under way.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, triggering weeks of war and escalating tensions across the region.
Among the senior officials arriving in Tehran on Friday were Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and his parliamentary delegation.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji and his delegation also paid their respects, Iranian media reported.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani, Uzbek Parliament Speaker Nuriddin Ismoilov, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, and an official Omani delegation also arrived, according to IRIB.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in Tehran to attend the funeral at the head of an official delegation, according to a statement from his office. Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi also arrived in Tehran.
Iranian media also reported the arrival of delegations representing Palestinian religious scholars, Russian clerics, Turkish political parties, Lebanese political parties, Indian representatives, and Thai groups to pay their respects during the funeral ceremonies.
Separately, representatives of the Bulgarian Republican Party and members of parliament attended memorial events honouring the late Iranian leader, according to Iranian media.
