Ali Khamenei funeral: India sends delegation to Iran as Tehran prepares for final farewell

Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita left for Iran on Friday to attend the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is accompanied by Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, who will also represent India at the ceremony.

According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the public farewell and mourning ceremonies will formally commence on July 4 and 5 in Tehran. The IRGC Command has drawn up maximum-capacity logistical plans, with early estimates projecting a staggering turnout.

"Preliminary estimates project between 12 million and 15 million participants, while some assessments suggest the turnout could reach as high as 20 million," stated Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, head of the funeral arrangements headquarters.

Son to skip father's funeral

In an important development, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojataba Khamenei, will not be attending the public funeral ceremonies for his father due to direct security threats, according to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the Supreme Leader's representative in India.

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Despite the heightened risks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, offering his official condolences over the late leader's death while discussing critical regional pain points, including safety in the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing Lebanon ceasefire talks.

Also read | After PM Modi, Iran invites BJP, Congress leaders to Khamenei's state funeral

The funeral roadmap

July 4 (6:00 am): The Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds will open to the public for a day-long farewell ceremony, concluding at 8:00 pm. A highly elevated platform has been constructed to ensure the late leader's coffin remains visible across the massive grounds.

July 5 (Morning): Official funeral prayers will be conducted at the Grand Prayer Grounds.

July 5 (Afternoon): The main funeral procession will commence. General Hassanzadeh noted that authorities explicitly rejected using a single procession route, as technical assessments determined no single street in Tehran could safely accommodate the expected millions of mourners. Instead, multiple designated routes and traffic-control zones have been mapped out.

July 9: Following multi-city processions across both Iran and neighboring Iraq, Ayatollah Khamenei is scheduled to be laid to rest in the holy city of Mashhad.

The coffin carrying the body of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was brought to the site of his assassination in central Tehran on Thursday, according to Iranian state media.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) confirmed the development, stating, “In an unannounced event, the coffin carrying the body of the martyred leader Ayatollah Khamenei was brought to the site of his martyrdom.”

The unannounced procession marks the beginning of a massive state funeral set to start on Friday.

Tehran’s municipal authorities have mobilised the entire metro network and public bus fleets to operate at full capacity, bracing for an influx of regional and international visitors arriving to witness the final journey of Iran's longest-serving Supreme Leader.