India will send Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain to attend the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The funeral rites will begin on July 4 and conclude with his burial in Mashhad on July 9.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremonies. Khamenei, aged 86, was killed on February 28 during Israeli and US airstrikes on Tehran. He led Iran as supreme leader for 36 years.
State media confirmed that ceremonies will also take place in Qom on July 7. The funeral is expected to draw nearly 20 million mourners across Tehran, Mashhad, and Qom. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other international leaders are also expected to attend.
The scale of the turnout could surpass the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew 10 million people. Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, has been serving as Iran’s supreme leader since March 8, though questions remain about his health.
The funeral comes amid ongoing peace talks between Iran and the United States following months of conflict that triggered a global energy crisis. Both sides signed digital MoUs earlier this year, with negotiations continuing in Switzerland.
India’s participation in the Khamenei funeral highlights its diplomatic engagement in West Asia during a period of significant political transition.
