FILES: Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister (left) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) in Tehran on May 19, 2025. (Photo: Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Iranian foreign minister to visit Baghdad amid Khamenei funeral preparations
BAGHDAD — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit Baghdad on Sunday to hold talks with Iraqi officials, according to a source familiar with the visit.
The source told 964media on Tuesday that discussions will focus on recent talks with the United States held in Switzerland as well as preparations related to funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
The planned visit comes days after a number of Iraqi lawmakers met officials at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad regarding arrangements connected to Khamenei’s funeral. Lawmaker Youssef Al-Kalabi said Monday that he and a group of parliament members visited the embassy to welcome Tehran’s approval of a procession expected to end with his burial in Najaf.
In a statement, Kalabi said the delegation met Iran’s ambassador to express gratitude for “his tremendous efforts in carrying our message to the Islamic Republic in order to approve the funeral procession” of Khamenei and his family. He described Khamenei as having “died defending Islam with his sons, his family and his children, emulating his grandfather Imam Hussein,” and said he was confident “the Iraqi people will repay the favor for the blood of the Sayyid leader.”
The developments follow an announcement by Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, who said in a televised address that Khamenei’s body would be transferred to Iraq on July 8. Farewell ceremonies will be held at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla on July 4 and 5, followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on July 6, with a separate ceremony in Qom on July 7 before the transfer the following day. Zakani said the proposed route would run along Damavand, Enghelab and Azadi streets before continuing toward the Lashgari Expressway, though the final section was undecided yet.
Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
The transfer would coincide with the peak of Muharram and Ashura mourning ceremonies observed in Iraq and other Shiite-majority countries. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar and holds particular significance for Shiite Muslims, commemorating the events leading to the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, when Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed along with many of his family and companions by the forces of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid.
The announcement also came amid broader regional developments following an agreement between Iran and the U.S. that includes an end to military operations, a commitment to further negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Announced via mediator Pakistan, the arrangement is expected to ease military tensions and open a period for talks on Iran’s nuclear program and related issues, with a signing ceremony to follow.
No official schedule for Araghchi’s meetings in Baghdad has been released.