Khamenei’s Funeral Will be Held Partly in Iraq, Testing New Baghdad Government

Iraq is preparing to receive the body of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as part of funeral ceremonies that will span Iran and Iraq. The event is framed as a Shiite religious observance but it puts the Baghdad government in a delicate political and diplomatic position ahead of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s expected debut visit to Washington in mid-July. 

Iran has announced that funeral ceremonies will begin in Tehran on July 6 before the body is transferred to Iraq two days later and then returned to the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad for burial. The timing comes as Iraq seeks to maintain its close ties with Iran while strengthening its relationship with the United States, months after Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike in late February. 

A source in the Iraqi prime minister’s office told Alhurra that Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, discussed the funeral arrangements during a brief visit to Baghdad on Sunday. 

Iranian officials scheduled the funeral only days before al-Zaidi’s Washington trip in an apparent effort to embarrass the Iraqi government and signal that Iraq “remains within Iran’s sphere of influence,” the source said. Al-Zaidi took office in May amid tense negotiations among Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni political parties. 

Groups affiliated with Iraq’s Shia-dominated Popular Mobilization Forces, along with Iranian media outlets, have said the Iraqi government requested that the funeral procession take place partly in Iraq in coordination with political parties. 

The Baghdad government source disputed that account. “I do not believe the prime minister’s office or the Foreign Ministry requested it,” the source said. 

A separate source within the Popular Mobilization Forces, which first announced the Iraqi leg of the funeral, said the request originated not from the government but from leaders within Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework. 

“The funeral itself has no political objective,” the source said. “But I believe the factions that wanted it to take place in Iraq are seeking to strengthen their position domestically and repair their relationship with Tehran, which remains a source of political strength for them.” 

Sistani’s Position 

Alhurra sought comment from the office of Iraq’s leading Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, but received no response. 

A source at the religious seminary in Najaf who is close to Mr. al-Sistani’s office said the clerical establishment views the funeral through three lenses. 

The first is humanitarian and religious. Holding part of the funeral in Iraq reflects the sentiments of many Shiite followers, and the Najaf clerical establishment generally does not oppose those feelings, the source said. 

The second concerns the political implications. The funeral, the source said, could embarrass the Iraqi government by creating the impression that Iraq automatically aligns itself with Iran on regional issues, “which is not true.” 

The third relates specifically to Mr. al-Sistani’s long-standing position on the independence of Iraq’s Shiite religious establishment. According to the source, the funeral could be interpreted as an Iranian attempt to portray Iraq’s Shiites as subordinate to Tehran, a notion the Najaf clerical establishment rejects. It could also undermine decades of efforts to distinguish the religious authority in Najaf from that of Qom. 

A Sensitive Moment 

The Iraqi government faces the challenge of managing the event without upsetting its policy of balancing relations with both Tehran and Washington. 

The Iraqi writer Ahmed al-Sheikh Majid said religious symbolism in Iraq is deeply intertwined with politics, adding that the funeral carries significance not only inside Iraq but also within Iran, where Iraq’s Shiite holy sites hold considerable influence. 

“The funeral sends a regional message that Iran continues to wield influence in Iraq,” he said. “Tehran wants to demonstrate that it has not lost its position there as it has in Lebanon and Syria.” 

Officials are also concerned that large public gatherings could become platforms for political slogans or demonstrations, placing the government in an awkward position. As a result, the security and logistical management of the funeral has become a test of the Iraqi state’s ability to oversee a major regional event. 

Mustafa al-Naji, a political science professor at the University of Baghdad, said Iran’s influence in Iraq is “a natural consequence of geography, religious ties and shared interests.” 

“The funeral of a religious authority and leader viewed by many as a figure of resistance against Israeli and American influence is also seen as natural, and many Iraqi Shiites do not find it controversial,” he said. 

At the same time, he added, the event could prove embarrassing for a government attempting to distance itself from the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran. 

Funeral Plans 

According to information obtained by Alhurra, al-Zaidi has issued an executive order assigning the committee responsible for organizing Iraq’s annual Arbaeen pilgrimage to oversee the funeral arrangements. 

The funeral is expected to be attended by Iraqi President Nizar Amidi and Prime Minister al-Zaidi, along with senior Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political leaders, religious figures and representatives of other communities. 

The expected size of the procession remains unclear, but Iraqi authorities have taken extensive security and logistical measures in preparation. 

Under the schedule announced by Iranian authorities, ceremonies will be held in Najaf on July 8 at the shrine of Imam Ali before moving to Karbala, where ceremonies will take place at the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas. 

A source at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad told Alhurra that the body will arrive at Najaf International Airport before an official and public procession heads to the shrine of Imam Ali for prayers and religious rites. It will then travel to Karbala for similar ceremonies at the Imam Hussein and Abbas shrines before returning to Iran later that day or the following day for burial in Mashhad. 

The source said authorities are also considering bringing the body to Baghdad for a ceremony at the shrine of the two Imams al-Kadhim, though that part of the itinerary has not yet been finalized. 

According to the source, the official reception at Najaf airport is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last for one hour before the public procession starts. The body will then be flown from Najaf to Karbala, where ceremonies are expected to continue until 10 p.m. 

Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.