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Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran/WANA (West Asia News Agency), via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered prayers today at a funeral for the victims of the helicopter crash in Tehran, which killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Abdullahian and others.
DUBAI >> The Emir of Qatar and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait traveled to Tehran today to attend the funeral of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi. During his term as president, a historic agreement was reached that improved relations between Tehran and the Gulf states.
While Qatar has typically cultivated warm ties with Iran as a go-between between the Shiite Muslim country and the United States, other Gulf states had uneasy relations with their neighbors. They accused Iran of meddling in their internal affairs and backing regional foes until Riyadh and Tehran signed a landmark agreement to normalize ties in 2023.
The UAE also strengthened diplomatic ties with Iran that same year. The two countries have shared business and trade ties for over a century, and the UAE's Dubai has long been one of Iran's main links with the outside world.
Kuwait reappointed its ambassador to Tehran in 2022 after recalling its top envoy when Sunni Saudi Arabia broke ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016. Tensions remain simmering over the offshore Dura gas field, to which Saudi Arabia and Kuwait claim exclusive joint rights, while Iran also has a claim.
Foreign Minister Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew were killed in a helicopter crash in Iran on Sunday.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani led a high-level delegation that included Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to offer his condolences to Raisi and Amirabdullahian, the emir's royal household said in a statement.
The Saudi state press agency said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan attended the funeral.
Iranian state media reported that UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the funeral to pay his respects, after the UAE's state news agency WAM later confirmed that he had attended the service.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al Yahya also visited Tehran on Wednesday and attended Raisi's funeral on behalf of the Kuwaiti emir, the foreign ministry said.
