Tehran: Iran extended an invitation to South Korea to attend the funeral of its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, only to later retract the invitation, according to diplomatic sources on Sunday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Iranian government initially reached out to South Korea, inviting its diplomatic mission to participate in the funeral proceedings. However, just before the event, Iran communicated that the mission's attendance would be difficult due to issues related to the venue.

Observers noted that Iran's decision to not receive condolences from foreign diplomatic missions in Tehran might have been influenced by its focus on accommodating high-level delegations from other nations. The South Korean government reportedly accepted Iran's change of plan, considering its diplomatic ties with Washington.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Iranian supreme leader, was killed on February 28 following attacks launched by the United States and Israel on the Middle Eastern country.