Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain and Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita are scheduled to visit Iran to participate in the funeral ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. The ceremony, emphasizing the strong ties between the two countries, is set to take place in Tehran on July 4. Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him as Iran’s new Supreme Leader in March.
The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the significance of the civilizational connections and the people-to-people bond between India and Iran through the high-level representation at the funeral. The funeral proceedings for Ayatollah Khamenei will commence on July 4 at Imam Khomeini’s Mosalla prayer hall in Tehran, followed by additional ceremonies in Tehran and Qom city. The final funeral ceremony will be held in Mashhad on July 9, concluding with the burial at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS).
In a gesture of condolence, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, representing the Government of India, visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on March 5 to sign the condolence book for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. During the visit, Misri met with Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali to express condolences on the demise of Khamenei. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed the visit and signing of the condolence book on behalf of the Indian government and its people.
