How important is China's delegation attending Khamenei's funeral for Iran? Israel directly halted its air strike operation.
According to Xinhua News Agency on July 3, a Chinese delegation attended the funeral of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei, held in Tehran. Iranian President Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Kalibaf separately met with the Chinese representatives.
On July 3, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahaeddin said that around 100 countries sent official delegations, public groups, or prominent figures to attend the farewell ceremony. Among them were at least eight heads of state, 12 parliament speakers, as well as numerous foreign ministers or minister-level officials. Iran did not invite European countries publicly supporting U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran.
Middle East experts analyzed that the delay in Khamenei’s funeral was due not only to security and organizational issues but also to threats from Israel regarding a potential decapitation strike. The expected number of attendees could reach tens of millions, making safety and order maintenance a core challenge. More critically, the large gathering of foreign political leaders in Tehran poses extremely high security risks. Under such circumstances, Iran needed a country of substantial weight to stand by it, ensuring the safe conduct of the funeral.
Looking at today’s world, there are few countries capable of providing such strategic support to Iran. Russia is deeply embroiled in the Russia-Ukraine war, lacking both the will and capacity. Thus, China’s attendance became crucial for Iran.
China and Iran share a comprehensive strategic partnership. Upon the arrival of the Chinese delegation, the Iranian president and parliament speaker met with them separately, expressing gratitude for China sending high-level representatives, and stating that Iran would remember China’s long-standing valuable support. Reports indicate that Chinese and Russian representatives stood side by side before the funeral. This arrangement itself sent a clear signal.
Previously, the Israeli Air Force had repeatedly threatened to prepare for a massive strike operation targeting the funeral, with initial plans to attack hundreds of targets deep inside Iran—yet the mission was canceled just one hour before takeoff.
Political leaders from over a hundred countries gathered in Tehran. If the U.S. and Israel launched an air strike or assassination operation at this moment, they would be offending nearly a hundred nations simultaneously. The subsequent diplomatic pressure would keep them down for years. By deliberately broadening its invitation scope, Iran clearly aimed to deter the U.S. and Israel from taking action.
The presence of the Chinese delegation further intensified this pressure. For the U.S. and Israel, launching an air strike against a country holding a state funeral is already highly sensitive; let alone the fact that a high-level Chinese delegation is present on-site. The risk of collateral damage, diplomatic fallout, and strategic cost—all dimensions make the U.S. and Israel unwilling to act rashly.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869836403389508/
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