Iran expressed gratitude to India on Monday for participating in the funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in strikes by the United States that triggered the West Asia war.
The Iranian Embassy in India penned a thank you note for India for the gesture and said that it stood as a ‘powerful expression of mutual respect and sincere solidarity’.
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An Indian delegation including Congress leader and former foreign minister Salman Khurshid, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Minister of state (MoS) for external affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain represented India at Khamenei's funeral last week in Tehran.
“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of India extends its heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to the friendly Government and people of India, especially the official delegation that attended on behalf of the Government and people of India, for participating in the funeral ceremonies and paying tribute to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” the Iranian Embassy in India wrote in a post on X.
{{/usCountry}}“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of India extends its heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to the friendly Government and people of India, especially the official delegation that attended on behalf of the Government and people of India, for participating in the funeral ceremonies and paying tribute to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” the Iranian Embassy in India wrote in a post on X.
{{/usCountry}}It further added that the presence of political leaders, Members of Parliament, eminent scholars, intellectuals, and leaders of India's diverse faiths and religious communities reflected the ‘deep historical, cultural, and human bonds’ between India and Iran.
Khamenei's dayslong funeral procession
Several religious leaders from India also paid tribute to Khamenei in Tehran, images shared by the Iran embassy in India showed. Iran had invited nearly 100 countries, including Pakistan, Russia and China, for Khamenei's funeral that will continue for nearly six days before his burial in his hometown Mashhad on July 9. The funeral procession will be carried out across multiple cities in Iran and Iraq – Najaf and Karbala.
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On Monday, Iran began a procession through Tehran for the funeral Khamenei's funeral. Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed February 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, sat on board a truck, the Associated Press reported. Authorities decorated the truck's side to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds the shrine of an imam.
The coffins will be taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport over a 12-hour journey, said Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hasan Hasanzsdeh, who is overseeing the procession.