The United States reportedly launched a diplomatic campaign to discourage at least 13 countries from attending former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran, according to Iranian media. The report further claimed that the effort led the nations to either withdraw from the event or send lower-level delegations.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing a senior source, that the US intensified diplomatic efforts ahead of Khamenei’s funeral to reduce foreign participation. The report further claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio secretly instructed American embassies and diplomatic missions on June 26, asking diplomats to use “all available means” to persuade host governments not to attend the ceremony in Tehran.
It further claimed that participation in the funeral would be viewed as an “unfriendly act” that could negatively affect bilateral ties with Washington