Iran invites BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Congress president Kharge for Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral; India likely to send delegation

Iran has invited BJP president Nitin Nabin and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to attend the funeral ceremony of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports. The final rites of Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israel strikes on February 28, are scheduled to take place next week.

Former Union minister Salman Khurshid and Congress leader Pawan Khera are among other opposition leaders invited to the ceremony, PTI reported.

India is expected to be represented at the funeral programme by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, HT reported earlier. The two leaders are likely to attend the event in Tehran on July 4 on behalf of the Indian government, sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier received an invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to attend the funeral. However, an official announcement on India’s representation is still awaited, and Modi’s participation is considered unlikely.

Leaders from China, Russia, Pakistan and Qatar have also been invited by Iran. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confirmed that an official delegation from Islamabad will attend the ceremony.

Khamenei’s funeral schedule

Iranian authorities announced the funeral arrangements in June after postponing the last rites multiple times following Khamenei’s death. According to Iran’s state media, funeral ceremonies will be held in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad on July 6, 7 and 9, respectively, before his burial at the shrine of Imam Reza on July 9.

Organisers have invited “all noble and dear people, the free people of the world, followers of Islam and those interested in Iran” to participate in the event, expecting a large public turnout.

The funeral is being held during Muharram, a significant mourning period in the Shia Muslim calendar. Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 to 2026, was initially scheduled to receive his last rites on March 4, but the ceremony was delayed due to the Iran-US conflict that began after US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28.