Uganda did not send a high-level government delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, even as neighbouring Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were represented at the ceremony that drew delegations from dozens of countries.
The absence of a senior Ugandan delegation comes despite decades of cordial relations between Kampala and Tehran, which have seen three of Iran's last four presidents visit Uganda.
The DRC was represented by Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen'Apala, while Tanzania's delegation was led by Sheikh Abdallah Salum Ally, the Grand Mufti of Tanzania, accompanied by senior officials from the National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA) and representatives of the Tanzanian Embassy in Tehran.
The Tanzanian delegation attended the opening funeral ceremonies and conveyed condolences on behalf of the country's Muslim community.
Immam Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 when the US and Israel launched an unprovoked attacks on Tehran and targeted his residence with missiles that also killed his 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani alongside her mother Boshra Khamenei.
Uganda's decision mirrors its response following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in May 2024. At the time, Kampala also refrained from sending a senior political delegation to Tehran.
Instead, President Museveni visited the Iranian Embassy in Kampala on May 22, 2024, where he signed the condolence book and met Iran's ambassador. Museveni described Raisi as "a unifier" and "a very dedicated person" while recalling the late Iranian leader's state visit in July 2023 in a first visit to Africa by an Iranian president in more than a decade.
For Raisi's funeral, Uganda was formally represented in Tehran by its Chargé d'Affaires, Oscar Edule, who attended an official diplomatic condolence ceremony organised by Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed condolences on behalf of the Ugandan government and people.
The latest funeral, however, saw participation from a wide cross-section of governments spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Latin America.
Among the notable attendees were Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Iraq President Abdul Latif Rashid, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, China's Vice-Chair of the National People's Congress, Qatar's Speaker of Parliament, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister and Egypt's Senate Speaker.
Other African representation included Burkina Faso's foreign minister, and Namibia's cabinet-level delegation.
Algeria was among the notable Arab countries that did not send an official delegation despite longstanding diplomatic relations with Iran, while countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Jordan, Japan and the Vatican were also absent from the ceremony.
No invite
Explaining the decision, Ambassador Twaha Matata, Uganda's Head of Mission, said there was no invitation extended to the Government of Uganda.
"But all Ambassadors in Tehran have been invited to attend and there Uganda is represented at that level," he added.
The Nile Post has established that Tehran is still unhappy over some unflattery public engagements by a top official who appeared to praise Israel in the face of the attacks on Iran.
It is understood the government has yet to offer an explanation or apology for the posts, including one that suggested Uganda could send the military to help Israel capture Tehran.
The Nile Post has contacted Iran's ambassador to Uganda, Majid Saffar.
Kenya and Rwanda were also not present. For Kenya, the current government of William Ruto has been engaging closely with Washington, drawing the Iranian embassy in Nairobi into an open warning during the war.
Tanzania's participation has attracted particular attention given the country's recently strained relationship with the US s over governance, democracy and rule-of-law concerns.
Washington has in recent years suspended some assistance programmes and repeatedly criticised Dar es Salaam over democratic backsliding, making its decision to send a delegation noteworthy in diplomatic circles.
Meanwhile, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, citing what it described as a high-ranking source, alleged that the United States mounted an intensive diplomatic campaign to discourage countries from attending the funeral.
According to Tasnim, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed American embassies and diplomatic missions to persuade host governments not to participate and warned that attendance would be viewed as an unfriendly act toward Washington.
The report further alleged that some African countries were warned that participation could jeopardise US assistance programmes and claimed that 13 countries eventually withdrew or downgraded their representation.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and neither the US State Department nor the White House had publicly commented on the claims.
Relations between Kampala and Tehran have remained warm for decades, with Iran steadily expanding cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy, health and manufacturing.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Uganda in 2010 during the African Union Summit in Kampala. His successor, Hassan Rouhani, visited in 2016 to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, while Ebrahim Raisi made a state visit in July 2023 as part of his three-nation African tour.
During Raisi's visit, Uganda and Iran signed a series of cooperation agreements covering agriculture, energy, information technology and health, with both governments expressing interest in strengthening economic ties despite Western sanctions on Tehran.
Against that backdrop, Uganda's decision not to dispatch a senior delegation to Tehran for either Raisi's funeral in 2024 or Khamenei's funeral appears consistent with its recent diplomatic practice of expressing condolences through its embassy and other official channels while maintaining broader bilateral engagement.
The varying levels of representation at Khamenei's funeral also reflected the complex geopolitical calculations many countries continue to make in balancing relations with Iran against ties with Western powers, particularly the United States.
