PM Shehbaz Sharif to attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral in Iran in July?

ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN – Iran officially announced schedule for funeral and burial of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with four days of state mourning and ceremonies set to take place from July 6 to July 9 across Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to attend funeral prayers as part of a high-level delegation. Sources said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are also expected to accompany the premier during the visit. Officials further indicated that Shehbaz Sharif will likely participate in the funeral prayers, reflecting Islamabad’s decision to officially pay tribute to the late Iranian leader during the country’s state mourning period. Iranian authorities are planning detailed Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral and burial ceremonies, bringing clarity to the final rites of one of the region’s most influential political and religious figures. The state funeral ceremonies will begin on July 6 with a two-day public farewell at Tehran’s Mosalla, where thousands of mourners are expected to gather to pay their last respects. The funeral procession will then move to the holy city of Qom on July 7, before extending beyond Iran’s borders. In a move highlighting the regional significance of the ceremonies, Iranian officials said separate funeral processions will be held on July 8 in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala following requests from Iraqi authorities and various religious groups. Iraqi officials are expected to announce the final arrangements for those events. Officials confirmed that Dr. Mesbah-al-Hoda Bagheri, Seyyedeh Bushra Hosseini Khamenei, Zahra Haddad-Adel, and Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani will be honored alongside Ayatollah Khamenei during the official funeral processions. The four-day state funeral will conclude on July 9 with Ayatollah Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, marking the end of the official mourning c