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.
Members of the Lebanese group Hezbollah also held a farewell ceremony in tribute to Khamenei.
Additional foreign delegations were expected to continue arriving throughout the day, while memorial events will continue in the coming days.
According to the announced funeral schedule, an official memorial ceremony for Khamenei will be held on Friday with the participation of heads of state, senior officials, and religious leaders.
Farewell ceremonies will continue in Tehran on July 4 and July 5, followed by the main funeral procession in the capital on July 6.
The funeral rites will then move to the holy city of Qom on July 7.
On July 8, ceremonies are scheduled in Iraq, including in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, where the body will be received by religious and political figures before being taken to major shrines.
The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Ali Reza Shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of Shia's holiest sites.
