Daijiworld Media Network – Tehran

Tehran, Jul 6: Iran has alleged that the United States mounted a coordinated diplomatic campaign to discourage foreign governments from attending the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the claims first surfacing in Iranian media on Jul. 3 and drawing wider international attention during the ongoing state funeral ceremonies in Tehran.

According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the alleged campaign began around Jun. 26, about a week before the funeral procession, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with American ambassadors and diplomatic missions worldwide, reportedly urged foreign governments not to participate in the event.

Tasnim, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed Washington warned several countries that attending the funeral at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla would be viewed as an "unfriendly act" and could adversely affect bilateral ties with the United States. The report further alleged that explicit threats were made to reduce development assistance and review diplomatic relations if countries chose to send representatives to the ceremony.

Citing an unnamed Iranian source, the agency said the diplomatic effort involved direct outreach by Rubio to at least five Arab countries, urging them to avoid the funeral or risk damaging relations with Washington. Two unnamed Arab diplomats were quoted as confirming that such communications had taken place.

The report also alleged that several African countries were warned their participation could result in cuts to US development assistance.

According to Tasnim, the campaign led at least 13 countries to either withdraw from the funeral or downgrade their representation. These reportedly included three Eastern European nations, five African countries, two Persian Gulf Arab states and two major East Asian nations. However, the identities of the countries were not disclosed.

The allegations began circulating in Iranian media on Jul. 3, shortly before the start of Khamenei's state funeral, and gained wider attention as the ceremonies commenced in Tehran on Jul. 4.

The funeral, which is scheduled to conclude with Khamenei's burial in Mashhad on Jul. 9, has drawn hundreds of thousands of mourners. Large crowds gathered in Tehran, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" while calling for revenge following Khamenei's killing in a US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28, according to Iranian media and international reports.

The allegations regarding US diplomatic pressure have not been independently verified. The United States has not issued any official response to the claims made by Tasnim News Agency.