WANA (Jul 04) – A senior informed source said that the United States had launched a broad diplomatic campaign in recent days aimed at discouraging countries from participating in a ceremony held in honor of Iran’s martyred leader.

 

According to the source, U.S. officials had undertaken coordinated efforts over the past five days to reduce the level of international participation in the event. The source stated that on June 26, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a confidential directive to American embassies and diplomatic missions, instructing them to use all available channels and capacities to persuade host governments against attending the ceremony.

 

The source said the directive emphasized that participation by foreign officials in the ceremony related to Iran’s leader would be viewed by Washington as an “unfriendly act” and could carry consequences for bilateral relations with the United States.

 

In addition, two Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the U.S. Secretary of State had personally discussed the matter with his counterparts in at least five Arab countries.

 

The report also stated that some U.S. ambassadors in African countries had explicitly warned that participation in the ceremony could affect American development assistance to those states. According to the information provided, one major North African country reportedly decided to lower the level of its representation due to concerns over potential repercussions for its bilateral relations with Washington.

 

The source further said that assessments indicated at least 13 countries—including several Eastern European states, a number of African countries, some Arab states in the Persian Gulf region, and several major East Asian countries—ultimately decided not to attend the ceremony under U.S. pressure.

 

According to the source, some countries that chose not to participate later sent messages through diplomatic channels and intermediaries to explain their positions. Several governments also proposed that their diplomats already stationed in Tehran attend on their behalf, though those arrangements were reportedly not accepted by the Iranian side.