Tehran blamed the United States for the notable absence of leaders of major countries from the funeral and burial ceremonies of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, considering that Washington led a broad diplomatic campaign to pressure countries to reduce the level of their representation or boycott the ceremony.
According to a report published by the “Iran International” website and the Iranian “Tasnim” agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, Khamenei’s funeral and burial ceremonies were held in Tehran without the participation of the leaders of the major powers, despite the official invitations sent by the Islamic Republic. Russia, China, India, and Turkey were limited to sending low-level representatives, while the majority of foreign delegations were limited to Shiite religious figures and representatives of non-governmental political organizations.
According to the report, Tasnim quoted an Iranian source it described as high-ranking, saying that the United States had carried out an intensive diplomatic campaign in recent days to persuade countries not to participate in the funeral ceremony of the Iranian leader.
The report added that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked all US embassies and diplomatic missions to use “all possible means” to persuade the governments of host countries not to send officials to the funeral ceremony, and he also informed them that participation would be considered an “unfriendly step” from the point of view of the United States.
Tasnim also reported, based on Arab diplomats, that Rubio made direct contacts with his counterparts in at least five Arab countries to discuss this file, while the report stated that US ambassadors in a number of African countries warned that the participation of those countries in the funeral ceremonies may affect the continuation of US aid to them.
According to the report, an important country in North Africa reduced its level of participation for fear of its repercussions on its relations with the United States.
The report indicated that 13 countries canceled their participation in the funeral ceremonies, including 3 countries from Eastern Europe, 5 African countries, 2 countries from the Gulf, and 2 countries from East Asia, after American pressure, according to the Iranian account.
Tasnim added that some countries that decided not to participate later tried to justify their position and offer apologies to Tehran through mediators or through its diplomatic channels.
In parallel, the official Israeli account in Persian on the “X” platform published a sarcastic comment on the funeral ceremony, which said: “Many came not to mourn, but to make sure that he died.”
These Iranian accusations highlight the extent of the diplomatic tension that accompanied Khamenei’s funeral ceremony, at a time when official funerals appear to be part of the political conflict between Tehran and Washington, and not just a protocol occasion.
