NEW DELHI: India will be represented at the state funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, by Bihar Governor Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, sources said.
They will attend the funeral ceremonies beginning on 4 July on behalf of the Government of India, following an invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.
Prime Minister Modi is not expected to travel to Iran because of a packed overseas schedule that includes visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.
New Delhi’s decision to send a high-level delegation is in keeping with its practice of ensuring senior representation at major state occasions while maintaining engagement with key partners Ayatollah Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly four decades and was the country’s highest political and religious authority, was killed on 28 February in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on his Tehran compound during the early phase of the West Asian conflict.
His death triggered military escalation across the region before a ceasefire came into effect. The state funeral, delayed because of the war, will begin with the body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex. Processions are scheduled in Tehran and the holy city of Qom before the burial on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signed the condolence book at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi soon after the killing. During the conflict, Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar remained in contact with Iranian leaders as New Delhi closely monitored developments in the region.
The two countries have also sustained high-level political exchanges. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently visited New Delhi for BRICS-related meetings, during which he held talks with Jaishankar and met Prime Minister Modi.