Central News Agency (CNA Taipei, July 2) China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today that He Wei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will attend the funeral of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on the 3rd on behalf of China. Iran has long been subject to sanctions and isolation by Western countries, but China is considered a staunch ally of Iran. The Iranian government confirmed in March that the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Khamenei had died in an attack launched by the United States and Israel. Iran, long subject to international sanctions, has maintained good relations with China, and China is Iran's largest trading partner and largest oil buyer, which has drawn international attention. However, with the outbreak of the US-Iran war at the end of February, the situation in the Middle East became volatile, and China's verbal stance remained low-key and subtly ambiguous, sparking speculation. However, during the US-Iran war, the US military intercepted Iranian official vessels suspected of transporting military supplies from China to Iran. Nevertheless, several Chinese cargo ships were also affected by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, leading to reports that Beijing had pressured Iran to open the strait. Iranian state television reported in mid-June that Khamenei, who ruled for nearly 37 years and was killed in an airstrike by Israel and the United States on February 28, will be buried on July 9. (Editor: Lu Jia-rong / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150702 Stand with the facts, and your every contribution is a force to protect press freedom. Download the CNA "First-Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news in real-time. No part of this website's text, images, or videos may be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.