Middle East — 2026-07-02

Pakistan PM Sharif to Attend Khamenei State Funeral in Tehran as Over 30 Countries Send Delegations

BLUFBroad diplomatic attendance at Khamenei's funeral undercuts expectations that the February strikes would isolate Tehran, granting Iran's still-unannounced successor immediate international legitimacy.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a high-level delegation accompanying him 123. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said representatives from about 100 countries, including heads of state, parliament speakers and foreign ministers, are expected in Tehran, with high-level delegations from at least 30 countries taking part Friday 4. Press TV reported that Chinese lawmaker He Wei, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev as Vladimir Putin's special envoy, and Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon are among attendees, while India said its deputy foreign minister and a state governor will represent it 2. The funeral events begin in Tehran on July 4, with the body lying in state before a procession and eventual burial in Mashhad on July 9 124.

Analysis
Wide turnout spanning Pakistani, Chinese, Russian, Indian and Tajik delegations indicates Iran retains functioning diplomatic channels despite the leadership loss and the US-Israeli strikes that killed Khamenei, with corroboration resting on a primary Pakistani disclosure amplified rather than independently confirmed by secondary outlets. Sharif's presence reinforces Islamabad's positioning as an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington while US-Iran relations remain unresolved. The multi-day itinerary from Tehran through Qom, Najaf and Karbala to burial in Mashhad gives Iran's emerging leadership an extended platform to project continuity and mobilize Shia constituencies across borders, though no successor to Khamenei's authorities has yet been identified. The gap between heads-of-state-level envoys for some countries and a deputy foreign minister for India suggests attendance reflects differentiated diplomatic calculus rather than uniform alignment with Iran's post-Khamenei leadership.

5 sources

Pakistan PM Sharif to attend funeral of Iran former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - Anadolu Agency
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, other world leaders to attend Khamenei's funeral - Jerusalem Post
Pakistan says PM Sharif, a key US-Iran mediator, will attend Khamenei funeral ceremony - The Times of Israel
Representatives from 100 countries to attend Ali Khamenei's funeral ceremony — diplomat - TASS
PM Shehbaz to attend Ali Khamenei's funeral in Iran: FO - Geo News