PAKISTAN & IRAN – (Web Desk) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Iran to attend the Shehbaz Khamenei funeral ceremonies, paying tribute to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on behalf of Pakistan. The visit is expected to take place in the first week of July, following an invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Khamenei, who led Iran since 1989, was killed in the opening hour of the US-Israel war on February 28, during a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran. His daughter-in-law, daughter, and at least one grandchild also lost their lives in the attack.
Iran has now announced the full funeral schedule. Ceremonies will begin in Tehran, move to the holy city of Qom, and conclude with burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on July 9. The extended timeline, unusual under Islamic tradition, has been linked to wartime security concerns.
Sharif is expected to lead a high-level Pakistani delegation, reportedly including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Speaking before the National Assembly, the prime minister said Pakistan’s presence would show the world the respect his country holds for the late leader.
Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, survived the strike with reported injuries and has since taken over as Iran’s new supreme leader. He has not yet appeared in public.
After concluding his engagements in Iran, Sharif is also set to travel to Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, continuing Pakistan’s recent wave of regional diplomacy.
Pakistan’s standing with Iran has grown considerably since Islamabad helped mediate an end to the US-Israel war, with both Washington and Tehran publicly praising the country’s role in de-escalating the conflict.
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