Iran’s funeral diplomacy: The Quran verses that ranked allies, rivals and sent Saudi Arabia a message

Iran’s funeral diplomacy: The Quran verses that ranked allies, rivals and sent Saudi Arabia a message Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 07/04/2026 - 20:23 The Quran recitations at Ali Khamenei's revealed a Tehran that sees itself as victorious, turning mourning into a display of political signalling Mourners gather at the Grand Mosalla to pay their final respects to Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on July 4, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off When the Saudi delegation stepped forward to pay respects at the coffin of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, the Quran recitation that followed did not go unnoticed. The verse was Ali Imran 3:13, the passage describing the Battle of Badr, where a vastly outnumbered and poorly equipped Muslim force routed a much larger army “by the will of God”.