Summary He said Iranian forces had stepped up their deployment for the arrival of senior officials and religious and political figures from various countries
(Web Desk) – Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia has said thqat Iran’s military is on high alert ahead of the multi-day funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He said Iranian forces had stepped up their deployment for the arrival of senior officials and religious and political figures from various countries, Al Jazeera reported.
“The army’s ground, naval and air forces have expanded their active presence across the country’s borders to help ensure security,” he told the IRNA news agency.
He added that Iran’s air defence force is maintaining continuous surveillance of the country’s airspace.
Iran is preparing the largest state funeral in its history for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
The six-day ceremonies will span five cities, including in neighbouring Iraq.
They will begin on Saturday, with Khamenei’s body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex. The ceremonies will continue through Monday, with a funeral procession through the streets of Tehran on Monday. The procession will move to the holy city of Qom on July 7, and then to the cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq.
Khamenei’s body will be returned to Iran for burial in his home city, Mashhad, on July 9.
Mourners from across the country and abroad are expected to attend the ceremonies.
Authorities say they expect some 15 to 20 million mourners to participate, and police have declared a state of high alert for the event. Senior officials and representatives from more than 30 countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Georgia and Cuba, are expected to attend, while religious leaders from 90 countries will also take part.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has spearheaded efforts to end the US-Israel war, confirmed in an address to parliament earlier this month that he would attend.
Israeli ‘state terrorism’
Meanwhile, Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, has lodged a protest with the global body over Israel’s latest threat to assassinate the country’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
In a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and the General Assembly, Iravani described the threat by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz as “part of a deliberate and systematic policy of state terrorism” targeting Iranian government officials.
He tied it to the “Israeli regime’s illegal acts of aggression against Iran, including the assassination of the late Iranian leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and other senior political and military officials, carried out with the participation, coordination, and support of the United States”.
Iravani added that the UN Security Council has allowed Israel to act with impunity and warned that Tehran would respond to any hostile actions.
“Unfortunately, the failure of the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities under the UN Charter has reinforced the climate of impunity and has made the Israeli regime more brazen in normalising state terrorism, which sets a very dangerous precedent and poses a serious threat to international peace and security.”
