Iran's farewell ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has started in central Tehran.
According to Tasnim news agency, the ceremony is being held at the Mosalla prayer complex, named after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqai said 8 heads of state and 12 parliament speakers will attend. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, and Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow have already arrived.
Nearly 100 countries have sent official delegations, public figures, and groups. High-level delegations from neighboring countries also attend.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend his father's funeral due to security reasons.
Delegations from Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Venezuela, Belarus, and North Korea are expected. Representatives from Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis, and Iraqi Shia groups are also planned to participate.
Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran, along with his family. His body will be buried on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
The Azerbaijani delegation includes Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, Deputy PM Shahin Mustafayev, and Nakhchivan PM Jabbar Musayev.
