Tehran Turns Khamenei’s Funeral into a Diplomatic Test

Khamenei’s coffin was draped in a red flag associated with the Shia phrase “Ya Husayn”, a call invoking the memory of Husayn ibn Ali. In the Iranian context, such flags are often understood as symbols of martyrdom, justice and revenge. According to Islamic tradition, Husayn was killed in the Iraqi city of Karbala in 680, and his death helped cement the split between the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam.

In the coming days, the coffins of Khamenei and his family members, including his 14-month-old granddaughter, are to be taken to Qom, the seat of the ayatollahs’ power, then to Najaf in Iraq and on to Karbala. On Thursday, they are due to be taken to the Imam Reza Mosque in Mashhad, where their remains will be laid to rest.

Those killed alongside Khamenei included his daughter Seyedeh Boshra Hosseini Khamenei; his son-in-law Mesbah al-Hoda Bagheri Kani; his daughter-in-law Zahra Sadat Haddad-Adel, the wife of Mojtaba Khamenei; and his 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.

The Shamed Arabs

The same religious-political staging was already evident on Saturday, when delegations from neighboring Arab countries came to pay their respects to Khamenei. Each delegation was presented with a recited verse from the Quran that, according to observers, reflected its relationship with Tehran during the war.

The Saudi delegation was greeted by a muezzin reciting a verse about two armies that clashed in battle, one believing and the other unbelieving – a well-concealed verbal attack on the Sunni monarchy, which had cooperated with the US in attacks against Iran.

The Turkish delegation was received with a verse stating that God elevates those who fight above those who sit idly by. Qatari representatives were greeted with a passage about forgiveness and God’s favor for the repentant, which observers interpreted as recognition of their mediation efforts. China received a verse about “calming your hearts”.

The Lebanese delegation, meanwhile, was given a verse about people who “refuse to make a sacrifice when asked to do so”. Hezbollah representatives received a different message: “Do not hesitate or despair, for if you are true believers, you will prevail. If you have suffered wounds, they have suffered similar ones.”

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Palestinian militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in turn, heard verses about martyrs. Hamas received a verse about believers willing to die, of whom “some have fulfilled their pledge and others are waiting”, while the smaller ally in the 7 October 2023 attack heard a promise of forgiveness for the shortcomings of “the past and the future” and of ultimate victory.

Yemeni rebels from the Ansar Allah movement, the Houthis, received a verse praising believers who fight without ceasing. Egypt and Pakistan, because of their mediating roles, were given verses about the Garden of Eternity and its rivers, reserved for those with whom Allah is pleased and who fear him. Thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistanis, in turn, heard: “Grant me, O Lord, an honorable entry and an honorable departure.”

Who Came to Tehran

More than 30 delegations from around the world came to bid farewell to Khamenei. According to the analytical portal Middle East Spectator on Telegram, the procession through Enqelab Square drew a crowd of millions. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen portal reported that the funeral ranked among the world’s largest events by attendance, with organizers planning to welcome 15 million to 20 million people in Tehran, a city of 10 million.

Alongside representatives from Beijing, a Moscow delegation led by former President and Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev also came to pay its last respects to the slain leader. Armenia, Georgia and Tajikistan sent senior figures – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Mikheil Kavelashvili and leader Emomali Rahmon – while Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan were also represented.

According to an earlier report by Euronews, Turkmenistan’s former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was also expected to attend the memorial service, as were delegations from Oman, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ghana, Nicaragua, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Serbia and Cuba. The delegation from Bulgaria, however, was particularly surprising.

Bulgaria’s Surprise Presence

Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the nationalist party Vazrazhdane, had previously announced that he had been invited by the Iranian organizers and described it as an “honor”. He sent two representatives, MP Angel Georgiev and Zlatan Zlatanov, the party’s coordinator in Ruse, who came to pay their respects at the coffins. They were the only elected representatives from the European Union.

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“Bulgaria is not doomed to be a voiceless appendage forever, learning its stance from foreign embassies. We can have our own foreign policy, our own relations, and our own assessment of what is happening in the world”, the party said in a statement about the visit to Tehran. The European Union has not yet condemned the Bulgarian delegation’s visit.

A Final Insult

The opposition-in-exile website Iran International also noted another protocol gaffe. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Iran’s first supreme leader, also came to pay his respects at Khamenei’s coffin. His grandfather, Ruhollah Khomeini, led protests after returning from exile, which escalated into the Islamic Revolution and overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty. Hassan himself, however, belongs to the reformist camp.

According to the website, the verse recited by the muezzin as Hassan approached the coffin compared believers who “stay at home” with those who commit “their wealth and their lives” to God’s cause. Khomeini left shortly after bowing, presumably because he considered it an insult.

Reactions from Arabs on social media, as compiled by Iran International, generally condemned the way Iran had used sacred texts shared by the overwhelming majority of the delegations present. Persian commentators, particularly conservatives, argued instead that Tehran was reminding fellow believers abroad of the importance of faith against the backdrop of war.