Saudi delegation pays final respects to Khamenei at Tehran funeral

Tehran hosted a solemn funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, drawing a gathering of foreign dignitaries and mourners. Khamenei's death, attributed to a U.S.-Israel airstrike on February 28, had ignited a war with Iran. Among those offering final respects was a delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji. Despite fluctuating relations between Riyadh and Tehran, Saudi Arabia dispatched a high-level representative. The funeral proceedings, expected to span several days, also saw the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator in U.S.-Iran talks aimed at ending the conflict. Leaders from Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Cuba, and Serbia were also in attendance, underscoring the international attention on the event. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was also anticipated to join the mourners. Delegations from China, Namibia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and India, along with Turkmenistan's National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, were also present. Iranian officials praised the foreign officials for their solidarity against recent U.S.-Zionist aggression, referring to Khamenei as the "martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution."