Iraqi authorities have imposed restrictions on funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, limiting commemorations to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala and seeking to prevent the events from becoming a public display of Tehran's political influence in Iraq, according to Iraqi sources.
The measures, which have not been publicly announced by the government, underscore Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's efforts to preserve a delicate balance between Iraq's close ties with neighbouring Iran and his administration's drive to strengthen relations with the United States and Arab partners.
The sources said Baghdad opposed holding funeral events in the capital, citing security concerns and the political sensitivity surrounding Khamenei's death, before agreeing to allow limited ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala, two of Shiite Islam's holiest cities.
According to the sources, Iraqi authorities also sought to ensure that the commemorations retained a religious rather than political character by opposing the participation of senior commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force.
The sources said Iraqi officials informed Tehran that military figures should not attend the ceremonies to avoid the perception that the funeral was being used to demonstrate Iran's continuing political and security influence inside Iraq.
They said the restrictions reflected growing awareness within Baghdad that any highly visible Iranian military presence could complicate Iraq's foreign policy at a time when the government is seeking to project itself as an independent regional actor rather than one aligned with any single power bloc.
The issue has taken on added significance ahead of an expected visit by Prime Minister Zaidi to Washington, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump. Political observers say Baghdad is keen to avoid scenes that could be interpreted in Washington as evidence that Iran continues to exercise significant influence over Iraqi state institutions.
However, senior figures within Iraq's ruling Shiite Coordination Framework rejected reports that Qaani had been barred from entering Iraq or attending the ceremonies.
Amer al-Fayez, head of the Tasmeem Alliance parliamentary bloc, told Kurdish news outlet Shafaq News that reports suggesting Iraq had prohibited Qaani's participation were unfounded and intended to inflame tensions between Baghdad and Tehran.
He said relations between the two neighbouring countries remained based on mutual interests and good neighbourliness, adding that Qaani had done nothing that would justify Iraq treating him as unwelcome.
The conflicting accounts highlight the political sensitivity surrounding Khamenei's funeral and the competing pressures facing Baghdad as it seeks to maintain stable relations with Iran while reassuring Western and regional partners that it is pursuing an independent foreign policy.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28, triggering a week of funeral ceremonies across Iran before his body is scheduled to be taken to Iraq for religious rites in Najaf and Karbala before returning to Iran for burial in Mashhad.
The Iraqi leg of the funeral programme is expected to include visits to the shrines of Imam Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussein in Karbala, two of the most revered sites in Shiite Islam, with large crowds anticipated.
The handling of the ceremonies has become an early test of Zaidi's diplomatic approach, with Baghdad attempting to contain the political symbolism of the event while preserving working relations with Tehran, reflecting a broader strategy of balancing Iraq's competing regional and international partnerships.
