Over 100 Countries Attend Khamenei State Funeral as Reports Allege U.S. Pressure on Foreign Governments

Representatives from more than 100 countries, including Bangladesh, attended the week-long state funeral and mourning ceremonies for Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while at least 13 countries reportedly stayed away amid alleged pressure from the United States.

According to Iran's state-run Press TV, several countries from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Persian Gulf region, and East Asia did not participate in the ceremonies after what it described as sustained diplomatic pressure from Washington.

The report said some of the governments that did not attend later used diplomatic channels to explain their absence to Tehran and express regret.

Citing an unnamed senior source, Press TV alleged that U.S. officials conducted an intensive five-day campaign to discourage foreign delegations from traveling to Tehran for the memorial events.

Middle East Eye also reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a confidential directive on June 26 warning that participation in Khamenei's funeral would be regarded as an "unfriendly act" toward Washington. According to the report, the directive cautioned that countries attending the ceremony could face serious consequences for their bilateral relations with the United States.

Press TV, citing two Arab diplomats, further alleged that Rubio personally spoke with the foreign ministers of at least five Arab countries to discourage their participation. The report also claimed that U.S. ambassadors in several African nations warned local governments that attending the funeral could jeopardize American development assistance.

Despite the reported pressure, Press TV said high-level delegations from more than 100 countries—including Bangladesh, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Pakistan—attended the ceremonies in Tehran to pay their respects to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes earlier this year, according to Iranian authorities.