On September 14, 2013, prominent officials of the Iranian regime attended the funeral of the mother of Qassem Suleimani, a key figure in the Iranian regime. Suleimani is commander of the Qods Force, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) responsible for special operations outside Iranian territory. In its coverage of the funeral, the Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC, called him "the IRGC's international commander."
In addition to senior members of Iran's political and security elites, the funerals was also attended by prominent representatives of Iran's proxies in the "Resistance Front," including: Syria's Ambassador to Iran 'Adnan Hassan Mahmoud; Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior officials Ramadan 'Abdallah Shallah and Ziyad Nakhala; Hizbullah representatives Ibrahim Amin, head of the Organization's political bureau and Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of its late military leader 'Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in February 2008; Muhammad Nassir,[1] the special envoy of Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al; Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi, and the Iraqi Minister of Transportation, Hadi Al-Amiri.[2]
The high rank of the attendees reflects Suleimani's senior position in the regime, and the presence of various figures at the funeral indicates their high status in the regime or prominence as Iranian allies.
Below are photos of Iranian senior officials and foreign allies who participated in the funeral:[3]
Suleimani with Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
With IRGC Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari (left) and Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi
With Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani (left) and IRGC Intelligence Bureau Chief Hossein Taeb
With 'Imad Mughniyeh's son, Jihad (left) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad heads Ramadan 'Abdallah Shallah and Ziyad Nakhala
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