Bihar guv, MoS for external affairs set to attend Khamenei’s funeral

Indian Minister Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will attend the funeral of Iran’s ex-leader Khamenei on July 4, signaling ties with Tehran.

Published on: Jun 30, 2026, 04:18:11 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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Minister of state for external affairs Pabitra Margherita and the Bihar governor Lt Gen (retired) Syed Ata Hasnain are expected to represent India at the funeral programme of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Bihar guv, MoS for external affairs set to attend Khamenei’s funeral

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had last week invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the funeral programme, a six-day event spanning three Iranian cities. An official announcement on the level of participation is yet to be made by the Indian side, though it was considered unlikely that the PM would take part in the event.

Margherita and Hasnain, one of the few members of the Shia community to currently hold a constitutional position, are expected to participate in the event to be held in Tehran on July 4 on behalf of the Indian government, the people said on condition of anonymity.

The Indian participation in the programme will also signal New Delhi’s continued engagement with Tehran at a time when the understanding between Iran and the US and ongoing negotiations for a resolution of the West Asian conflict could lead to the possibility of Washington ending sanctions on Iranian oil and the development of Chabahar port. However, the understanding has come under strain following fresh US and Iranian attacks.

The funeral programme will begin with a farewell event in Tehran during July 4-5, and the main funeral procession in the Iranian capital is scheduled for July 6, according to Iran’s state-run media. On July 7, ceremonies will be held in the holy city of Qom, and the burial in Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad is scheduled for July 9.

Khamenei, 86, was killed on February 28, the first day of the West Asian conflict triggered by Israel and the US’s attacks on Iran. He was killed in an airstrike on the compound in Tehran housing his office.

The leaders of China, Russia, Pakistan and Qatar have also been invited by Iran for the funeral programme. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said an official delegation will attend the funeral.

India had maintained silence on the Israel-US military strikes that killed Khamenei till foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy on March 5 to sign the condolence book on behalf of the government.

At the time, the opposition Congress party and former military officials and diplomats criticised the government’s position on the killing of Khamenei and the sinking of an Iranian frigate by a US submarine within Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone while it was leaving the region after participating in an international fleet review and a hosted by India.

In 2024, when then Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash, then vice president Jagdeep Dhankar had represented India at their funeral.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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