July 3 (UPI) -- Iran began a weeklong funeral ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members Friday that's expected to stretch across five sites and two countries.

Iran has invited Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to events marking Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's final farewell in Tehran. The invitation underscores India-Iran ties even as Naqvi's attendance remains undecided.

Iran has invited Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Salman Khurshid to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's state funeral next week. The Iranian President had earlier invited PM Modi as well, but he is likely to skip the ceremony.

PM Shehbaz to visit Iran in first week of July: sources.Premier will likely visit Turkiye after Iran, say sources.Late leader's funeral is set to take place on July 9.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to visit Iran in the...