Speaker Hafiz Uddin to attend Khamenei's funeral

Bangladesh National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is scheduled to join the state funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

He is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Iran on 2 July and is likely to be in Tehran on 3 July at the invitation of Iranian Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

The funeral of late Ali Khamenei will begin in Tehran on ⁠4 July, and he will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on 9 July, according to Iranian state media.

The information was confirmed to The Business Standard by BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.

He said the state funeral and funeral prayers for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be held in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad from 4 to 9 July.

"Hafiz Uddin Ahmad will attend the funeral prayers on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman," Shairul said.

He added that the speaker would depart Dhaka on 2 July to attend the ceremonies.

Several members of parliament are also expected to travel to Iran independently to participate in the funeral, according to sources.

According to the information provided, Khamenei was killed in an airstrike carried out by US and Israeli forces in late February.

Iranian authorities are expecting around 20 million people to attend the funeral and burial ceremonies, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

The official ceremonies are scheduled to begin in Tehran and Qom on 4 July. Iran's Mehr News Agency, citing unnamed officials, reported that Khamenei will be buried on 9 July in Mashhad, his birthplace in northeastern Iran.