Serbian Minister attends funeral of Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran

Serbia's Minister of Information and Telecommunications, Boris Bratina, arrived in Tehran to pay respects and attend the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The visit was announced by Iran's Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.

Bratina received an official welcome at Tehran airport from Iran's Deputy Minister for Technology, Innovation, and International Affairs, Mohamed Hafez Hakami. According to the Iranian ministry, the Serbian minister will participate in the funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli-American airstrike on his residence on February 28.

During his visit, Bratina is also scheduled to engage in discussions with his Iranian counterparts regarding bilateral cooperation in the fields of information and telecommunications. This follows a memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and Serbia in March 2025 to enhance relations in these sectors, during a visit by Iran's ICT Minister Seyed Sattar Hashemi to Belgrade.

However, the trip has drawn criticism from Serbian opposition figures. Branko Miljuš, a member of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), questioned whether Bratina continued his journey to Tehran from Brussels, where he had been with other Serbian officials. Miljuš also asked if President Aleksandar Vučić had informed the U.S. administration about sending a minister to Tehran. He accused Vučić's government of respecting dictators who oppress their people, citing Khamenei's actions, and suggested this move undermines efforts to align Serbia's foreign policy with the European Union, a key condition for its integration process.

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Vučić's regime respects every dictator who mistreats, persecutes, and kills their own people who rebel against election theft or high prices, as Ali Khamenei did.