A senior Afghan delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has travelled to Iran to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to sources, the delegation includes Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Zakir Jalali, Director General of the Second Political Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Azam, head of Baradar’s office, and Haji Hikmat, head of the economic department of the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.

The visit comes as Iran prepares what officials have described as the largest state funeral in the history of the Islamic Republic. The six-day funeral, spanning multiple cities in Iran and Iraq, follows a months-long delay after Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes on February 28 during the Iran-Israel conflict.

Ceremonies are set to begin at Tehran’s Mosalla prayer complex before a major funeral procession through the capital. The events will then continue in the holy city of Qom, followed by ceremonies in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei is scheduled to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.

Iranian authorities expect millions of mourners to participate in the ceremonies, with Tehran’s mayor estimating that around 20 million people could attend the main funeral procession in the capital. Extensive security and logistical measures have been put in place, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other security forces overseeing crowd management.

Several foreign delegations are expected to attend the funeral, including an official delegation from Pakistan, while the participation of other regional and international leaders is still being confirmed.

The Afghan delegation’s attendance underscores the continued diplomatic engagement between Kabul and Tehran, which have maintained regular high-level contacts on political, economic and regional issues. No details have been announced regarding any bilateral meetings between Afghan and Iranian officials during the visit.

Afghanistan should be recognized as a full participant in shaping Central Asia’s future rather than being viewed as a peripheral state, Javlon Vakhabov, Director of the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), said during the first Central Asia–Afghanistan Think Tank Forum held in Kabul.

The forum organized by the Center for Strategic Studies of Afghanistan, brought together heads of leading think tanks, policymakers, researchers, and business representatives from Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan to discuss regional cooperation and integration.

Vakhabov stressed that Afghanistan’s stability and economic recovery are closely linked to the future of Central Asia, arguing that the country should become a “co-author” of regional integration rather than remain on the sidelines.

He said major infrastructure initiatives—including the Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor, the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, the TAP power transmission project, and the CASA-1000 electricity project—could transform Afghanistan from a transit route into an active participant in regional production, industry, and economic development.

On water and climate cooperation, Vakhabov underscored the need to establish legal and institutional frameworks that include Afghanistan. He also called for continued dialogue on the Qosh Tepa Canal, regular technical consultations, data sharing, joint monitoring, glacier research, and the development of regional early warning systems.

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior Affairs, held talks with Mirdif Al-Qashouti, Qatar’s ambassador to Kabul, on expanding bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Qatar, regional developments, and strengthening Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Haqqani praised Qatar’s constructive role in supporting Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community and thanked Doha for its continued cooperation.

The two sides also discussed security cooperation and joint efforts to combat drug trafficking.