MoS Pabitra Margherita, Bihar Governor represent India at funeral ceremony of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN: Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, and Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain  (retd) on Friday represented India as they attended the funeral ceremony of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 this year.

On the solemn event, MoS Pabitra Margherita, in a post on X, shared that they paid their respects on behalf of the Government and people of India. “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”.

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.@PMOIndia@MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/cK4bYZ6Lot

— Pabitra Margherita (@PmargheritaBJP) July 3, 2026

In a post on X, the Bihar Governor said that they extended deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the recent conflict.

Represented India at the funeral ceremony of His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran today, along with MoS External Affairs @PmargheritaBJP. Also extended deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the recent conflict.@MEAIndia… pic.twitter.com/4TwhWINdQZ

— Bihar Lok Bhavan (@GovernorBihar) July 3, 2026

Iran’s top leaders came together at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on Friday during the funeral ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Heads of the three branches of Iran’s government were seen paying their respects to the slain leader.

Iranian military commander Mohsen Rezaee, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Chief Justice of Iran Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend the farewell ceremony for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

High-profile Indian dignitaries have paid tribute to the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, ahead of the formal state funeral ceremonies in Tehran. The Embassy of Iran in India, in a post on X, shared, “Indian Dignitaries Pay Tribute to the Martyred Leader of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”

The image shared by the Embassy of Iran in India on X featured People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and Salman Khurshid, who heads the Congress party’s foreign affairs department, along with several others.

Leaders have flown in from across the world to pay their respects to the Iranian leader. According to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, Turkmenistan’s chairman of the People’s Council Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief General Asim Munir and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani were among those who paid their respects to the late Ayatollah Khamenei.

Parliament speakers of Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, foreign ministers of Nicaragua, Congo and Burkina Faso, president of Egypt’s Senate, the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement, and Omani parliament speaker also paid tribute to the slain Leader.

Press TV reported citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei that delegations from nearly 100 countries, along with public figures and civil society groups, would attend the farewell ceremony for the martyred Leader.

“We have high-level delegations from neighboring countries. At least eight heads of government, including presidents or prime ministers, and parliamentary speakers from 12 countries will attend,” Baghaei said. “Many other countries will be represented at the level of foreign ministers, other ministers, or special envoys”. He further noted that public groups and prominent figures from around 100 countries would also participate in the ceremony.

Iran has begun the first stage of funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with foreign dignitaries and religious figures paying their respects at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla.

Significantly, the heightened threat matrix has directly impacted the immediate family. The current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not be present at the funeral events for his father due to these intense security concerns, according to his representative in India, Ayatollah Hakim Elahi.

The domestic security environment remains highly sensitive following provocative statements from regional adversaries, including Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who had previously remarked that the late leader was “marked for death”.

In response to these external pressures, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi clarified that any operational threat directed against the current leadership would face immediate and forceful retaliation.

Furthermore, high-ranking military commanders have cautioned external forces against executing any aggressive actions during the mourning period.

In a statement published via domestic channels, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned adversaries against any miscalculation, declaring, “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.

“The Leader’s body, along with those of his companions, was transferred to Tehran’s Grand Mosalla early Friday and placed in the main prayer hall ahead of a two-day public farewell ceremony.

Before the funeral ceremonies commenced, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on X, called on Iranians from all backgrounds to take part.

“As heroic Iran prepares to bid farewell to the sincere servant of Islam and the Revolution, I invite all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, political taste or orientation, to participate with enthusiasm, dignity and in historic numbers, demonstrating a lasting image of national unity and loyalty to the lofty ideals of the Islamic establishment,” he said on X.

According to Press TV citing Iranian officials, the multi-day funeral is expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to Iranian officials. The state broadcaster further reported that ceremonies will continue on Saturday and Sunday with the body lying in state at the Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday.

It mentioned that further rites are scheduled in the holy city of Qom, followed by ceremonies in Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, before burial in Mashhad on July 9. (ANI)