The presence of Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) countries at the funeral of former Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei raised many questions regarding the politics of the Middle East. Of the six-member GCC, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar sent official delegations to pay their last respects, while no official representatives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait attended the ceremony.
Which GCC countries joined?
- saudi arabia Sent a delegation under the leadership of Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Khuraji. This step was also considered important because just a few months ago, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had appealed to Iran to stop attacks on Gulf countries and change its strategy. Despite this, sending representatives to the funeral is being considered a sign of maintaining dialogue in the relations between the two countries.
- oman On the instructions of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, sent a high-level delegation under the leadership of Chairman of the State Council Sheikh Abdul Malik Al Khalili. He also gave official condolences to the Iranian leadership. Oman has long been playing the role of mediator between Iran and Western countries. This delegation also included Oman’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs and Oman’s Ambassador to Iran.
- Queue Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, Speaker of the Qatari Shura Council, led the Qatari delegation. He met the President of Iran Dr. Masoud Pejeshkian and the family of the late leader and expressed condolences. Many Shura Council members of Qatar and Qatar’s ambassador to Iran were included in this team.
The Deputy Saudi Foreign Minister paid tribute to the martyred Leader of the Revolution. pic.twitter.com/WXDbfm1cQV
— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) July 3, 2026
Which GCC countries did not join?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait have not yet sent any official delegation to the funeral. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai clearly said that countries that supported the attacks by America and Israel or took an inappropriate stance against Iran were not invited to attend the funeral.
However, Iran did not make public which countries were not sent invitations. Therefore, it has not been officially confirmed that UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait did not receive invitations. But considering the absence of these three countries and Iran’s statement, it is believed that they may be included among the countries which were not invited.
The Chairman of Oman’s State Council, Sheikh Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al-Khalili, is now paying tribute to the body of the Ayatollah Khamenei. pic.twitter.com/6j5HfR1kcR
— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) July 3, 2026
Invitations were not sent to most countries of Europe
Baghai had told that official delegations from some countries of Eastern Europe and other groups participated in the funeral. Baghai also said that most European leaders did not support Iran during the conflict, so they have lost the moral right to attend the funeral. However, Georgia’s President Mikhail Kavelashvili was an exception in this matter. His government has been distancing itself from the European Union in recent years and strengthening its ties with Russia and Iran, so he attended the ceremony.
Also read: Farewell to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ghalibaf-Araghchi cried bitterly at the funeral
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