Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili is expected to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as head of an official Georgian delegation, as reported by Iranian news agency WANA.
The report says a number of senior regional officials and high-level foreign delegations are expected to participate in the multi-day funeral events, scheduled to take place in early July in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and parts of Iraq.
The information has not been officially confirmed by the Georgian authorities. Netgazeti reported that it had contacted Kavelashvili’s press office for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Based on the Iranian report, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is also expected to travel to Iran for the funeral and was among the first regional leaders to publicly announce his intention to attend.
The report further states that Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will lead a high-level delegation to Tehran next week, while Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is also planning to travel to Iran for the ceremonies. Qatar’s Emir is expected to head his country’s delegation, although Iran’s report notes that the Qatari Prime Minister could lead the delegation if the Emir’s travel plans change.
From South Asia, Pakistan’s Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Iran on Friday, July 3, accompanied by a senior delegation. He previously told Pakistan’s National Assembly that the visit follows an official invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Based on the report, President Pezeshkian will also travel to Iraq as part of the mourning program. Following ceremonies in Tehran and Qom, Khamenei’s body is expected to be taken through four Iraqi cities before returning to Mashhad for burial. Iranian media says some foreign officials and pilgrims who had initially planned to attend only the ceremonies in Iran have instead decided to participate in the events scheduled in Iraq.
Iran’s First Vice President said the arrival of foreign officials and delegations will begin on Friday, adding that all necessary arrangements have been made to receive guests, facilitate their participation in the ceremonies, and organize bilateral meetings with Iranian officials.
Based on the official schedule announced by Iranian authorities, public farewell ceremonies for Khamenei will begin at 6:00 a.m. on July 4 at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla and continue until the evening of July 5. Funeral prayers will be held on the morning of July 5. After ceremonies in Tehran, Qom, and Iraq, Khamenei is scheduled to be buried in Mashhad on July 9.
