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Senior Chinese lawmaker to attend Khamenei's funeral

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Reuters

BEIJING - Senior Chinese lawmaker He Wei will attend the funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Thursday.

The event He is attending will be on July 3, a ministry spokesperson told a regular press briefing.

He is the vice chairman of China's top lawmaking body, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Khamenei was killed on the first day of Israeli and U.S. airstrikes against Iran on February 28. His state funeral will begin in Tehran on July 4 and ​conclude with his burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, ‌on July 9, Iranian state media has reported.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 3:58 AM.

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