Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Friday to attend the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian state media. The visit comes as Iran prepares to lay to rest its longtime leader, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes in late February that triggered the Middle East war.
Funeral Preparations Underway
The body of Khamenei arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla complex on Friday ahead of the funeral. Preparations for the public ceremony, initially delayed at the height of the war, are now taking place as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict. Millions of people and foreign dignitaries are expected to attend Saturday's official ceremony, with Tehran's chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported: “Senator Syed Mohsen Reza Naqvi arrived in Tehran and was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart. Naqvi is scheduled to participate in the historic farewell ceremony and burial of the Late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.” Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei's coffin, emblazoned with Iran's tricolor flag, into the Grand Mosalla.
Pakistan's Diplomatic Role
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also travel to Iran for the funeral before visiting Türkiye to discuss regional security and economic cooperation and address a business forum, Pakistan's foreign office said on Thursday. The July 3-5 visit follows Pakistan's prominent diplomatic role in ending months of conflict between Iran and the US. Islamabad, working alongside Qatar, hosted and facilitated contacts between the two sides, culminating in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding last month, which established a ceasefire and a framework for negotiations toward a permanent agreement. China, Afghanistan, and Iran's neighbors in the Caucasus region also said they would send representatives.
