Earlier this month, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was buried in his hometown of Mashhad after a four-day ceremony. Many international delegations were present, but each country will have chosen their representatives with the utmost care. Sending high-ranking officials would go beyond mere diplomatic courtesy, and possibly signal an alliance.
Only two states sent their prime ministers to the funeral: Iraq and Pakistan, both of whom share a border with Iran. This decision indicates an emerging “Axis of Sympathy” between the countries, a new South-West Asian regional theatre that breaks the simple binaries of the Middle East and South Asia.
