Representatives of Iran-backed groups Hezbollah and Hamas joined funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Saturday and also met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iranian state media.
Iran has long supported Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi movement in Yemen. The United States and several Western countries classify these groups as terrorist organisations, and Tehran’s backing of them has contributed to international sanctions against the country.
According to Lebanese media, Hezbollah’s delegation comprised senior officials as well as relatives of members who were killed or injured. The delegation was led by senior party official and former minister Mohammed Fneish.
Hamas, in a statement, said its delegation was headed by the chairman of its political bureau, Mohammed Darwish, and included other senior officials, among them Bassem Naim.
In July 2024, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in what was reported to be an Israeli operation after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Most foreign dignitaries and officials paid their respects to Khamenei on Friday. The Iranian leader, who served as supreme leader from 1989, was killed at the age of 86 alongside several family members and senior officials in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, an attack that sparked a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Thousands of mourners gathered on Saturday at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex to honour Khamenei, who held ultimate authority over Iran’s major state policies throughout his decades-long rule.
The funeral ceremonies at the Grand Mosalla are scheduled to continue on Sunday, which the Iranian government declared a national holiday. Iran’s official weekend falls on Thursday and Friday.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the foreign ministry urged citizens to turn out in large numbers for the ceremonies to “show the world the greatness of Iran and the glory of national unity and authority.”
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