ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday attended the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, leading one of the highest-level foreign delegations at the ceremony as Islamabad continues efforts to help consolidate a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States.
Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 that triggered the war in the region before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire on Apr. 8. Pakistan helped bring the two countries back to the negotiating table and, for the first time in several decades, facilitated the highest-level direct talks between their officials in Islamabad.
The late Iranian supreme leader’s funeral, delayed by the war, is being held as senior Iranian officials pursue negotiations with the US under a fragile ceasefire that came under renewed strain after Iran and the US exchanged fire in the Gulf earlier this week.
Sharif joined other foreign leaders in paying tribute to Khamenei at the ceremony, which was televised by Pakistani news channels.
“He guided the Iranian nation for decades with extraordinary vision, wisdom and foresight,” the prime minister said during the funeral, according to a statement issued by his office.
Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency said Pakistan was among the few countries to send such a high-level delegation to attend the funeral ceremony in Tehran to express solidarity with Iran.
On the sidelines of the event, Pakistan’s top military commander met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, days after Pakistani and Qatari officials facilitated indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Doha.
According to Iranian state media, Munir paid tribute to Khamenei’s services to Iran. Later, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and other senior civilian and military officials saw the Pakistani military commander off as he departed Tehran.
Sharif also expressed condolences to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei and the Iranian people, reaffirming Pakistan’s solidarity following Khamenei’s death.
After attending the ceremony, Sharif departed Tehran for an official visit to Türkiye, where he is scheduled to hold talks on regional security and economic cooperation.
