TEHRAN, Iran, July 3 (ANI) — A high-level Indian delegation paid tribute to Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, ahead of the formal state funeral ceremonies in Tehran.
The Embassy of Iran in India shared the update in a post on X, stating, “Indian Dignitaries Pay Tribute to the Martyred Leader of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”
The image posted by the embassy featured People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who heads the party’s foreign affairs department, and other delegates preparing to travel to Tehran for the state funeral.
Mufti traveled from New Delhi to Tehran on Thursday evening to attend the funeral ceremonies, scheduled to begin July 4. According to the report, she is the only non-Shia politician from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh invited by Iran to attend the event.
The official Indian government delegation also departed for Tehran. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita left New Delhi on Friday morning, accompanied by Bihar Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, to represent India at the funeral.
The Indian delegation’s visit coincides with the beginning of Iran’s state mourning ceremonies.
According to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, the first stage of the funeral ceremonies began Friday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where foreign dignitaries and religious leaders gathered to pay their respects.
Early Friday, Khamenei’s body and those of his companions were transferred to the Grand Mosalla and placed in the main prayer hall. Iranian state news agency IRNA confirmed the arrival of the casket at the venue.
Religious scholars and cultural representatives from Indonesia and Afghanistan were among the first foreign delegations to offer condolences, according to Press TV. Representatives of Iran’s recognized religious minorities also attended the opening ceremonies.
Large crowds of mourners gathered across Tehran ahead of the formal funeral events, which are scheduled to continue from July 4 through July 9, CNN reported. Many participants dressed in black, carried Iranian flags, sang ceremonial hymns, and held portraits of the late leader.
Images released from the venue showed Khamenei’s casket draped with a sacred red flag from the shrine of Imam Hussein, which Iranian authorities describe as a symbol of resistance, sacrifice, and devotion.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed condolences over Khamenei’s death while urging national unity.
“This martyrdom is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter of national unity, resilience, and progress,” Pezeshkian said, adding that the country’s political system rests on “the firm foundations of faith, ideals, and the will of a great nation.”
The funeral ceremonies are scheduled to span several cities in Iran and Iraq, including Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Najaf, and Karbala. The events come more than four months after Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on Feb. 28 during the conflict involving U.S. and Israeli forces.
Authorities have implemented extensive security measures for the funeral. Gholamhossein Mozaffari, governor of Razavi Khorasan Province, where Khamenei will be buried, said aviation assets could be deployed to monitor crowd movements.
According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the representative in India for Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend the funeral because of heightened security concerns.
The security environment remains tense following previous remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who had said the late leader was “marked for death.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that any threat directed at the country’s current leadership would be met with an immediate and forceful response.
Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, also cautioned against any hostile actions during the mourning period.
“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran… to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses of the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces to any threat or aggression,” Abdollahi said.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, counterterrorism specialist Dr. Mohammed Omar said Khamenei’s body had likely been preserved in refrigerated storage rather than through chemical embalming, noting that Islamic law generally prohibits embalming but permits delayed burial under exceptional circumstances.
“Iran’s forensic morgues already hold bodies for months, so four months in freezing is not exotic. That is what ‘religious and legal standards’ cover,” Omar said.
The transition of leadership has also drawn attention to the health of Mojtaba Khamenei. Iranian officials have maintained that he sustained only minor injuries during the Feb. 28 attack, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously suggested his injuries were more serious. No recent photographs or videos of Mojtaba Khamenei have been released publicly.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said delegations from approximately 100 countries are expected to attend the funeral, including heads of government, parliamentary leaders, foreign ministers, special envoys, and other officials.
Among the international attendees are Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, China’s He Wei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and senior officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, including the deputy prime minister and acting foreign minister. (ANI)
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