Sharif to Attend Khamenei Funeral, Then Turkey

PM PAKISTAN – (Web Desk) – Sharif to Attend Khamenei Funeral in Iran This Week PM’s Khamenei Funeral Trip Comes Before Turkey Visit
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Iran this week for the Sharif Khamenei funeral. He will pay respects to the country’s late Supreme Leader. He will then head to Türkiye. The visit covers regional security and trade talks.

The trip runs from July 3 to July 5. Pakistan’s foreign office shared the news on Thursday.

This will be Sharif’s first trip to Tehran since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in February. He was killed during joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Pakistan has taken on a big role in easing tensions between Iran and the US. Along with Qatar, it helped bring both sides to the table.

That effort led to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding last month. It set up a ceasefire and a path for further talks.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi shared the news during a weekly briefing in Islamabad. He said the prime minister will pass on condolences to Iran’s leadership.

He added that condolences will also go to the families who lost loved ones.

Pakistan has worked hard to stay close with both Tehran and Washington. Alongside Qatar and other regional partners, it has helped keep the peace process moving.

On Wednesday, reports said Iran and the US wrapped up another round of indirect talks. No major breakthrough was reported.

Instead, both sides mostly reviewed points already agreed upon two weeks earlier.

The next round of talks will happen once Khamenei’s funeral events wrap up. Ceremonies begin July 4 in Tehran.

They continue through July 9, ending with burial in his hometown of Mashhad. More events are planned in Qom and Iraq along the way.

Back in April, Pakistan hosted the first direct talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad. That meeting didn’t produce a final deal.

But it opened a real channel for dialogue. Key sticking points included the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, frozen Iranian funds, and Iran’s nuclear program.

Pakistan kept up the diplomatic push after that. It worked closely with Qatar on follow-up talks.

This groundwork led to the Islamabad MoU, signed on June 18 by both the US and Iran. Sharif signed the agreement as the mediator.

The agreement set up a 60-day ceasefire. It also included plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift a US naval blockade.

Talks on a lasting settlement will continue under this framework.

That MoU set the stage for the first High-Level Committee meeting in Bürgenstock, Switzerland. The US and Iran met there, with Pakistan and Qatar mediating.

Both sides agreed on a 60-day roadmap toward a full deal.

They also created a High-Level Committee to guide the process. Technical talks have since started on nuclear issues, sanctions, and monitoring.

A communication line was set up to prevent incidents near the Strait of Hormuz. A “de-confliction cell” for Lebanon was also launched.

After the Khamenei funeral events in Iran, Sharif will fly to Istanbul. He is traveling on President Erdoğan’s invitation.

There, he’ll focus on boosting trade ties. Regional security will also be part of the discussion.

Andrabi added that Sharif will also speak at a business conference in Türkiye. The event aims to highlight investment opportunities in energy, trade, and privatization.

It will draw top Turkish business leaders and government officials.