Islamabad/Tehran, July 3, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday attended the funeral ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, where he expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with the Iranian leadership and people following the veteran leader’s assassination in a US-Israeli strike earlier this year.
The prime minister travelled to the Iranian capital at the invitation of Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and led a high-level Pakistani delegation to the funeral rites. The delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and other senior government officials.
A separate parliamentary delegation led by Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, along with parliamentarians and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, also attended the funeral proceedings.
On the solemn occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz paid tribute to Ayatollah Khamenei’s role in guiding Iran over the decades and praised his contribution to the Muslim world.
According to an official statement, the prime minister recalled the late supreme leader’s “lasting contributions to Islam” and paid rich tribute to him for leading the Iranian nation “with remarkable wisdom and sagacity”.
He also conveyed Pakistan’s full solidarity with Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, President Pezeshkian and the people of Iran during what he described as a moment of profound national grief.
The prime minister prayed for the forgiveness of the departed leader and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the brotherly Iranian nation.
After attending the ceremony in Tehran, Prime Minister Shehbaz departed for Istanbul for an official visit to Turkiye, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Funeral held at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla
Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir paid their respects to Ayatollah Khamenei as his body lay in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, one of the Islamic republic’s most important ceremonial venues.
Khamenei was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, 2026, during the conflict that engulfed the region earlier this year.
Iranian and international media footage showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, draped in Iran’s tricolour flag, into the vast prayer complex. Crowds dressed in black gathered in large numbers at the pre-funeral ceremony, while the coffin was placed against a backdrop of red flowers and suspended white butterflies as part of the official mourning arrangements.
Among those seen paying respects was Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, who made his first public appearance since the outbreak of the war in February, according to Iranian media reports.
Khamenei’s body is expected to lie in state for three days at the Grand Mosalla, which has been adorned with banners carrying his images and quotations.
Massive funeral expected as foreign dignitaries arrive
Millions of mourners and dozens of foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the official funeral ceremony on Saturday. Iranian media reported that representatives from around 30 countries were expected to participate, while pilgrims and mourners were also arriving from neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bodies of Khamenei’s slain family members are also expected to be present during the funeral proceedings.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a massive public turnout at the funeral would send a “decisive” message against terrorism, violence and coercion, while also demonstrating national unity in the wake of the assassination.
The funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei are set to take place across a series of symbolic locations, reflecting the religious and political significance of the late leader within the Islamic republic.
Following the main ceremony in Tehran, Khamenei’s body is expected to be taken to the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, before being brought back to Iran for burial at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on July 9. Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, is also Khamenei’s birthplace.
The funeral had initially been delayed amid the height of the Middle East conflict, but is now taking place after Iran and the United States entered into a fragile ceasefire following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at halting the war.
The conflict began when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, with the opening attacks assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei and several of his family members, including his daughter, grandchild, son-in-law and daughter-in-law. Several senior Iranian military commanders were also killed in the strikes, including Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to the late supreme leader.
Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran separately earlier in the day.
According to PTV News, Field Marshal Munir was received by Iranian officials and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who had already reached Tehran.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X that the premier was received at Mehrabad Airport by Iran’s interior minister, Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran and senior diplomatic officials from both countries.
It said the prime minister’s one-day visit was aimed at attending Khamenei’s funeral rites and conveying condolences on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan.
“The prime minister will express heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Pakistani people and government to the Iranian leadership and bereaved families, and reaffirm Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the brotherly Iranian nation in this hour of grief,” the PMO said.
The PMO said the prime minister was accompanied by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bukhari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
Separately, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani also arrived in Tehran with a parliamentary delegation to attend the funeral prayers and burial ceremony, state-run Pakistan Television reported.
The participation of Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership in the funeral underscores Islamabad’s effort to express solidarity with Tehran at a sensitive regional moment, as Iran continues to mourn one of the most consequential figures in its modern history while navigating the aftermath of a major regional war.
The funeral ceremonies, which combine state protocol, religious symbolism and regional diplomacy, are expected to draw attention across the Muslim world as Iran prepares to bid farewell to a leader who shaped its politics, ideology and foreign policy for decades.
