Tehran: An Indian delegation comprising political leaders, religious figures and civil society representatives paid tribute to Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on Friday, July 3, ahead of the country’s multi-day state funeral programme.
Videos shared by the Embassy of Iran in India on X showed members of the delegation arriving at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla to pay their respects to the late Iranian leader.
The delegation included senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti.
Later on Friday, Mufti said in a post on X that it was “an honour” to be in Tehran to express her deepest condolences and solidarity following Khamenei’s death. She described him as “a revered leader who dared to stand against the tide and fought for the oppressed.”
India’s official delegation, comprising Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, also travelled to Iran on Friday to attend the funeral ceremonies.
According to Iranian state media, Khamenei’s coffin, along with those of members of his family who were killed in the February 28 US-Israeli strikes, has been placed in the main prayer hall of the Grand Mosalla, where foreign dignitaries, religious scholars and officials have been offering condolences.
The official funeral programme will continue in Tehran on July 4 and 5, culminating in the main funeral procession on July 6. The ceremonies will then move to Qom on July 7, followed by memorial events in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala on July 8. Khamenei will be laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad on July 9.
