Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.) and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita are expected to travel to Iran to represent India at the state funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian sources. However, the Government of India has not yet officially announced their participation.
The state funeral is scheduled to take place between July 5 and July 9, with ceremonies planned across the Iranian cities of Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad. Iranian authorities are preparing for an enormous public turnout, with estimates suggesting that nearly 20 million people could participate in the mourning events across the three cities. If those numbers are realised, the funeral would rank among the largest public gatherings in Iran’s history.
Sources familiar with the developments also said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the funeral ceremonies. Despite the invitation, New Delhi has not confirmed whether the Prime Minister will travel to Iran.
The funeral events are expected to begin in Tehran on July 5, continue in Qom on July 6, followed by another ceremony on July 7, before concluding with the final state tribute in Mashhad on July 9.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who served as Iran’s Supreme Leader for more than three decades, was killed on February 28 during large-scale US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran. His funeral was initially expected to be organised in early March, but the ceremony was postponed because of the ongoing regional conflict.
Following his death, his 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, assumed office as Iran’s Supreme Leader on March 8. In recent weeks, speculation about his health has surfaced after some senior US officials claimed that he had fallen into a coma. Iran has not issued any official statement confirming those reports.
Meanwhile, diplomatic developments in the region have gathered pace. Iran and the United States have agreed to continue a peace process after months of hostilities, with both countries signing separate digital memorandums of understanding (MoUs). Negotiations aimed at securing a long-term agreement are currently underway in Switzerland.
Amid these diplomatic efforts, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also travelled to Pakistan this week. During the visit, he met President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Their discussions focused on regional stability, security cooperation and the evolving diplomatic landscape following the recent dialogue between Tehran and Washington.
