PM Shehbaz to ‘visit’ Iran for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral

• PM Shehbaz to visit Iran in first week of July: sources.
• Premier will likely visit Turkiye after Iran, say sources.
• Late leader’s funeral is set to take place on July 9.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to visit Iran in the first week of July to attend the funeral prayers of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to sources.

Khamenei, Iran’s number one since 1989, was martyred in the first hour of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28 in a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran that also left his daughter-in-law, daughter, and at least one grandchild martyred, as per reports.

Ali Khamenei has yet to be buried, with state media reporting that his funeral will take place on July 9 in his hometown, the northeastern city of Mashhad, following three days of funeral ceremonies in Tehran and another in the holy city of Qom.

His son Mojtaba Ali Khamenei survived — although reportedly with injuries — and took over as supreme leader. He has yet to make a public appearance.

Meanwhile, following the visit to Iran, the premier is also expected to travel to Turkiye, which was among the countries which backed Pakistan-mediated efforts to halt the war against Iran.

Pakistan and Iran’s relations have improved after Islamabad emerged as a key mediator in the US-Israel war against Iran. The Shehbaz-led administration was able to bring the warring nations to the talking table.

Washington and Tehran — whose top leadership met for the first time in several decades in Islamabad in April — have also praised Pakistan on numerous occasions for bringing the war to a halt.