Iran calls on old friends as it buries its Supreme Leader — from PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to a formal government delegation led by a Bihar Governor, India’s presence in Tehran this week spans politics, faith and diplomacy.
Tehran, July 3
“It is an immense honour… a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive this invitation.”
— Mehbooba Mufti, PDP President
Jul 3–6 Funeral Ceremonies, Tehran
9 Indian Leaders Invited
2 Officials Leading Govt Delegation
Iran’s capital is preparing for a state funeral of historic scale this week, and India’s presence in it tells its own story. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid are among a group of Indian political and religious figures who have received personal invitations from the Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in US-Israeli airstrikes on his fortified compound in central Tehran.
Running alongside these individual invitations is a separate, official channel: the Indian government has confirmed it will send its own delegation to the ceremonies, a decision conveyed directly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Two Delegations, One Message
The distinction matters. On one track sits India’s formal state delegation, representing the government. On the other sits a set of individual invitations extended by Iran to Indian leaders it considers close to its own history and community ties — a gesture Tehran has framed as recognition of “profound historical and strategic ties” between the two nations.
Official Government Delegation
- Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain — Governor of Bihar, delegation leader
- Pabitra Margherita — Minister of State for External Affairs
Leaders Invited Directly by Iran
- Mehbooba Mufti — President, Peoples Democratic Party
- Salman Khurshid — Senior Congress leader, former External Affairs Minister
- Nitin Nabin — BJP National President
- Mallikarjun Kharge — Congress President
- Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi — National Conference MP
- Imran Ansari — J&K People’s Conference leader
- Aga Syed Mohammad Hadi, Masroor Abbas Ansari, Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safavi
Modi himself was also invited by President Pezeshkian but is unlikely to travel, given his scheduled visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand from July 6 to 11. In their phone call, Modi conveyed condolences on behalf of the Government and people of India over the deaths of Khamenei and other Iranian officials and citizens during the recent conflict, and confirmed that an official Indian delegation would attend in his place.
“A Once-in-a-Lifetime Honour”
For Mehbooba Mufti, the invitation carries personal weight. Speaking to PTI before her departure, she called it a rare privilege.
“It is an immense honour for me and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive this invitation. I will travel there to pay my last respects to the supreme leader.”
The formal invitation letter, issued by Mohseen Qummi, Director of the International Relations Department at the Office of the Supreme Leader, addressed Mufti as a “distinguished guest of the Indian nation,” citing the “deep-rooted friendship and mutual respect between our two great ancient civilizations.”
Inside the Funeral Programme
The mourning protocol laid out by Iranian authorities spans four days, beginning with the public farewell and closing with the funeral procession.
July 3 Farewell ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla Complex, Tehran.
July 4 Day of commemoration across Iran.
July 6 Funeral procession marking the close of the state mourning period.
The scale of foreign attendance underlines how the funeral has turned into a wider diplomatic moment. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is among the world leaders expected in Tehran, while Iran’s own political leadership has used the moment to strike a defiant tone — Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf urged citizens to “rise up” and “demand revenge” during a speech at the funeral, according to reports from the ceremonies.
Why It Matters for India
India’s balancing act is a familiar one. New Delhi has long maintained warm ties with Tehran, anchored by the Chabahar Port project and energy cooperation, even as it deepens its strategic partnership with the United States and Israel. Sending a formal delegation while allowing opposition and religious leaders to accept individual invitations lets India register its respect for Iran without over-committing itself at a moment of heightened regional tension following the recent conflict.
The presence of leaders like Mufti and Khurshid — along with National Conference and J&K People’s Conference figures — also carries a domestic resonance, reflecting the ties that sections of India’s Muslim community feel toward Iran as a centre of Shia religious authority.
As mourners gather in Tehran through the week, the makeup of India’s presence there — split between statecraft and sentiment — is itself a small window into how New Delhi is choosing to navigate a moment of grief, geopolitics and old friendships all at once. Who is leading India’s official delegation to Khamenei’s funeral?
India’s official delegation is being led by Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, along with Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita. Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the funeral?
PM Modi received an invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian but is unlikely to attend, as he has scheduled visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand from July 6 to 11. Which Indian leaders received invitations from Iran?
Iran invited Mehbooba Mufti, Salman Khurshid, BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, J&K People’s Conference leader Imran Ansari, Aga Syed Mohammad Hadi, Masroor Abbas Ansari and Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safavi. When and where is the funeral being held?
The farewell ceremony is being held at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla Complex in Tehran on July 3, with commemoration on July 4 and the funeral procession on July 6.
