Iran claims US pressured 13 countries to skip Khamenei funeral

Iran has accused the United States of mounting a diplomatic campaign to prevent foreign governments from attending the funeral and memorial ceremonies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming at least 13 countries withdrew participation under pressure from Washington.

The allegation was made by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, which reported that countries from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Gulf region and East Asia refrained from sending delegations after receiving diplomatic warnings from the United States.

Citing a senior source who requested anonymity, Tasnim said US officials had conducted a "broad pressure campaign" over the past five days aimed at discouraging foreign representatives from travelling to Tehran for Khamenei's funeral and commemorative events.

According to the report, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a confidential directive on June 26 instructing American embassies and diplomatic missions to warn partner countries that attending the funeral would be regarded as an "unfriendly act" carrying potential consequences for bilateral relations with Washington.

Tasnim further claimed Rubio personally raised the issue with the foreign ministers of at least five Arab states, while US ambassadors in several African countries allegedly warned local governments that participation could jeopardize future American development assistance.

The report added that some governments later contacted Tehran through diplomatic channels to explain their absence from the funeral.

The United States has not publicly responded to the allegations, and Washington has neither confirmed nor denied the reported diplomatic efforts.

Iran has also not released a comprehensive list of foreign delegations that attended Khamenei's funeral, leaving the extent of international participation unclear.