Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Syed Ata Hasnain represented India at the funeral ceremony of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Friday. Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Indian Dignitaries Pay Respects
In a post on X, Margherita stated: "Hon'ble @GovernorBihar and I represented India at the funeral ceremony for Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, former Supreme Leader of Iran, in Tehran. Conveyed our respects on behalf of the Government and the people of India." The Bihar Governor also posted on X that they extended deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the recent conflict.
Earlier, the Embassy of Iran in India shared on X that Indian dignitaries paid tribute to the martyred leader, featuring PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Congress foreign affairs head Salman Khurshid among others.
High-Level International Attendance
Iran's top leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and military commander Mohsen Rezaee, attended the farewell ceremony at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. According to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, delegations from nearly 100 countries participated. Key attendees included Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon, Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif and army chief General Asim Munir, and Iraq's Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
Security Concerns and Funeral Details
Current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend due to security threats, according to his representative in India, Ayatollah Hakim Elahi. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any operational threat against current leadership would face immediate retaliation. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, cautioned adversaries against miscalculation, declaring harsh responses to any threat.
The multi-day funeral is expected to draw 15 to 20 million mourners, per Iranian officials. The body will lie in state at Grand Mosalla through Saturday and Sunday, followed by a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday. Further rites are scheduled in Qom, then Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf in Iraq, with burial in Mashhad on July 9.
