The state funeral of Ayatolla Ali Khamenei is scheduled to begin on July 4, with Khamenei’s body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the state funeral and burial ceremonies of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28.
The ceremonies, which were initially scheduled for March, were postponed because of the conflict in the region. They are now set to take place over several days in July across multiple Iranian cities.
Ceremonies To Begin On July 4
The state funeral is scheduled to begin on July 4, with Khamenei’s body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex.
Public processions are planned in Tehran and Qom. Prayers will also be held in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. The final burial ceremony is scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown.
Authorities expect millions of mourners to take part in the ceremonies, which will mark the formal farewell to a leader who shaped Iran’s political system for nearly four decades. The funeral was originally expected to take place in Tehran and Mashhad between March 4 and March 6, 2026, but was delayed due to the war.
India-Iran Ties
Following Khamenei’s death in February, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and signed the condolence book on behalf of the Government of India.
India has traditionally maintained close ties with Iran and regards the country as part of its extended neighbourhood with longstanding civilisational connections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have held several rounds of discussions with Iranian leaders during the 40-day conflict in West Asia.
Earlier, after the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, then Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar led the Indian delegation to Tehran for the state funeral on May 22, 2024.
India had also sent a high-level delegation to Iran following the death of then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May 2024. At the time, New Delhi declared a day of national mourning and lowered flags to half-mast across the country. Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar led the Indian delegation that attended the ceremonies in Tehran.
Later that year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari travelled to Iran in July 2024 to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian.