Malaysia to send minister to Khamenei funeral in Tehran, says Anwar; Iran envoy confirms Mat Sabu

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Malaysia will send a ministerial-level representative to attend the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran tomorrow, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

Anwar made the announcement after delivering his keynote address at the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR) at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur today.

Ali Khamenei, 86, was Iran’s second and longest-serving supreme leader before he was killed in an Israeli airstrike in February this year. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since succeeded him as the Islamic republic’s new supreme leader.

The funeral arrangements, however, were delayed until July due to the ongoing war involving US-backed Israeli forces.

The funeral is expected to conclude with the leader’s burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, on July 9, according to Reuters.

Separately, Iranian ambassador to Malaysia Valiollah Mohammadi told Malay Mail that Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu would represent Malaysia at the funeral in Tehran tomorrow.

“He (Anwar) also conveyed his solidarity to the Iranian people and the President (Masoud Pezeshkian) and asked that I send a message on his behalf to the president that Muhammad Sabu will attend the funeral,” Valiollah said when asked about Anwar’s brief interaction with him at the event.