DefenceLeader Munir Joins Iranian Funeral Amid State of Mourning

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, arrived in Tehran on Friday to attend the state funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, according to state broadcaster PTV.

Munir was greeted by Iranian officials and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, already present in Tehran, as reported on X by PTV.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier traveled to Iran to join the funeral, confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The PMO stated that Sharif would express condolences to Iranian leadership and families, reaffirming Pakistan’s solidarity with Iran during this crisis.

Sharif’s delegation included National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary-General Nayyer Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

The funeral procession will traverse key locations—Tehran, Qom, Karbala, Najaf, and Mashhad—symbolizing Iran’s religious, political, and ideological foundations. The delayed ceremony, originally postponed during recent Middle East conflicts, coincides with a US-Iran ceasefire under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

China, Afghanistan, and Iran’s neighboring Caucasian states have announced plans to send representatives to the event.

rettently deceased supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, grandchild, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law were also killed in the attack, alongside senior Iranian military officials such as Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the supreme leader.

Public mourning will begin on Saturday, with Khamenei’s remains lying in state at Tehran’s central prayer complex, a major venue for religious and state ceremonies.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian noted that the large attendance at the funeral would serve as a “decisive” counter to terrorism and violence, reflecting national unity, as reported by Press TV.

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