Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir attend Khamenei funeral in Tehran

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a senior Pakistani delegation to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral in Tehran. The visit signalled Islamabad's solidarity with Iran's new leadership after the assassination and amid regional diplomacy.

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India Today World Desk

Islamabad,UPDATED: Jul 3, 2026 20:10 IST

A high-level Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday attended the funeral of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Khamenei was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes in February.

Sharif paid tributes to the late leader and expressed solidarity with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Iranian people. The delegation included Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other senior officials.

According to a statement from Sharif's office, the prime minister recalled the contributions of the late supreme leader for Islam and "paid rich tribute" to Ayatollah Khamenei, who guided the Iranian nation for decades with remarkable wisdom and sagacity. He also expressed full solidarity with the new Supreme Leader, President Pezeshkian and the people of Iran in this moment of "national grief".

A parliamentary delegation led by Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, along with other parliamentarians and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, also attended the funeral with the prime minister.

After attending the ceremony, Sharif, who had arrived in Tehran earlier in the day, left for Istanbul for his official visit to Turkiye. Munir also left for Pakistan after the ceremony, PTV reported.

The public funeral ceremonies will be held in Tehran and Qom on July 5, 6 and 7, while the burial will take place in Mashhad on July 9. Pakistan had played a mediator's role in the ceasefire and the subsequent talks between the US and Iran, after which the two sides signed an MoU on June 18 and later agreed to find a lasting solution to all issues within 60 days.

With PTI Inputs

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India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 3, 2026 20:10 IST

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