Iran vows vengeance for Martyr Leader as dignitaries arrive for funeral

Iran's president and parliament speaker have separately vowed to hold the US and Israel accountable for assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as senior officials from more than 30 countries gathered in Tehran for funeral ceremonies expected to draw up to 20 million mourners.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran will pursue legal and diplomatic avenues against Washington and Israel for their "blatant violations" of international law, while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told a visiting Lebanese delegation that "blood vengeance" for the Leader means freeing all Muslims from American and Israeli oppression.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during separate meetings with special delegations from China, Namibia and Afghanistan who traveled to Tehran to attend the ceremonies.

"The actions taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran were a clear violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, peremptory norms of international law, the principle of respect for national sovereignty, and all international humanitarian law standards," Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian said Iran will pursue the crimes and hold perpetrators and their supporters accountable in international forums and institutions using all legal and diplomatic capacities.

He emphasized that Iran remains committed to expanding relations with its neighbors based on good neighborliness, mutual respect and shared interests.

"No country should allow its territory, facilities, or capacities to be used by aggressors against the Iranian nation," he said.

In a separate meeting, Qalibaf received a senior delegation from Lebanon's Amal Movement led by Khalil Hamdan, who represented Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and conveyed a written message from him.

"Without doubt, blood vengeance for such a great leader is nothing other than freeing all Muslims from the oppression of America and the Zionist regime," Qalibaf said.

Qalibaf, who chairs Iran's negotiating team in Pakistan-mediated talks with Washington, said he traveled to Beirut twice during the Lebanon war and spoke with Berri three times.

He said the martyred Leader had always emphasized Berri's standing among Lebanon's Shia community and believed any decision Berri made in consensus with the Shia community and in Lebanon's national interest would be supported by Iran.

Qalibaf said one of the most important concerns in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding with the United States was the Resistance Front, especially Lebanon.

He said Iran had insisted on including clauses relating to Lebanon in the 14-article agreement signed in mid-June, which declared an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.

"Implementation of this clause will fundamentally strengthen Lebanon," Qalibaf said. "All members of Lebanese society must work to ensure the Lebanon clause in the Iran-US MoU is implemented, because its implementation can prevent sedition in Lebanon."

The funeral ceremonies began Friday with Ayatollah Khamenei's body lying in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla. The remains will be transferred to Qom, then to Iraqi holy cities including Najaf and Karbala, before burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace.

Senior officials and representatives from more than 30 countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, India and others, have arrived in Tehran to attend the ceremonies.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed he would attend. China sent He Wei, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

The Chinese, Namibian and Afghan delegations, in their meetings with Pezeshkian, conveyed condolences from their leaders, emphasized respect for Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for expanded bilateral cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other fields.

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