Iran President invites PM Modi to attend funeral for Ali Khamenei: Sources

Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of Israeli and US strikes against Tehran on February 28. His funeral will begin on July 4 and end with his burial in his hometown in Mashad on July 9.

In Short

• Ali Khamenei was killed on 1st day of Israeli-US airstrikes on February 28
• Funeral to be held from July 4 to 9, with processions in Qom and Mashad
• 20 million mourners likely to attend, may break Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral record

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sources told India Today TV.

Khamenei's funeral rites will begin on July 4 and conclude with his burial in the holy northeastern city of Mashhad, his hometown, on July 9.

The 86-year-old was killed on February 28, the first day of Israeli and US airstrikes on Tehran. He had served as the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic for 36 years.

The state media reported that funeral arrangements for the former Supreme Leader will include ceremonies in Qom, another holy city in the south of Tehran, on July 7.

Though Islamic law requires the dead to be buried as soon as possible, and ideally within a day of death, exceptions are permitted, particularly in time of war. There have been speculations regarding the date of Ali Khamenei's funeral since his assassination in February.

Reports said initially that he could be buried at the end of June before being confirmed by state media that it would be in July.

The funeral, which is expected to witness nearly 20 million mourners in Tehran, Mashad and Qom, will also see Pakistani officials, including PM Shehbaz Sharif. If the numbers turn out to be accurate, it could break the 10-million record set by the 1989 funeral of the Islamic Republic of Iran's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Ali Khamenei's son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, has been serving as the Supreme Leader of Iran since March 8. However, questions about his health and whereabouts have persisted, with several senior US officials, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, claiming that he is in a coma.

It is worth noting that Iran and the US have agreed to a peace deal after months of conflict, which plunged West Asia into crisis and triggered a global fuel and energy crunch. Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump signed digital MoUs separately, and long-term peace talks between the two sides are ongoing in Switzerland.

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