Peregraf — The body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei arrived in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf on Tuesday for funeral ceremonies, accompanied by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was received by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
According to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office, Pezeshkian arrived in Najaf leading an official delegation to participate in the funeral procession for Khamenei.
During the meeting, al-Zaidi renewed Iraq’s condolences to the Iranian government and people over Khamenei’s death and reaffirmed what he described as the deep ties between Iraq and Iran.
The Iraqi prime minister also stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and emphasized the need for careful regional and international engagement to promote stability and prevent further conflicts.
For his part, Pezeshkian thanked the Iraqi government and people for their support and for facilitating the funeral ceremonies. He also praised the longstanding relationship between the two countries and invited al-Zaidi to visit Iran to further expand bilateral cooperation and partnership.
Later on Tuesday, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office announced that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had declared Wednesday a public holiday across Iraq to mark the funeral ceremony of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes that targeted his compound in Tehran during the recent regional conflict. His funeral has drawn senior officials from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and several other countries.