Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to travel to Iran during the first week of July to participate in the funeral prayers of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, who had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, was reportedly killed in the early hours of the US-Israel conflict against Iran on February 28. The strike targeted a meeting of senior officials in Tehran, resulting in the deaths of Khamenei’s daughter-in-law, daughter, and at least one grandchild.
Notably, Ali Khamenei has not yet been buried. State media announced that his funeral will be held on July 9 in his hometown of Mashhad, located in northeastern Iran. This will follow three days of funeral ceremonies in Tehran and additional rites in the holy city of Qom. His son, Mojtaba Ali Khamenei, survived the attack with injuries and has assumed the role of supreme leader, though he has not appeared publicly.
Meanwhile, after his visit to Iran, Prime Minister Shehbaz is also anticipated to travel to Turkey. Turkey was among the nations supporting Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the conflict between the US-Israel coalition and Iran. Relations between Pakistan and Iran have strengthened significantly since Islamabad emerged as a key mediator in this war.
In a significant development, the Shehbaz administration successfully facilitated dialogue between the warring parties. The top leadership of Washington and Tehran met in Islamabad in April for the first time in several decades. Both sides have commended Pakistan multiple times for its role in bringing the hostilities to a halt.
