Congress Leader Salman Khurshid to Attend State Funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday said that he will attend the state funeral ceremony of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, representing the Congress party. Speaking to ANI, Khurshid said, “I am representing the party and will attend the state funeral ceremony of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.” Khurshid made the remarks while confirming his participation in the state funeral ceremony in Iran on behalf of the Congress party. On June 3, Iranian authorities announced plans to conduct a three-day public funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to reports carried by state media. The administrative arrangements for the multi-city commemorations were outlined by Tehran Deputy Mayor Mohammad Amin Tavakoli-Zadeh. He stated that the scheduled memorial processions will take place across several prominent urban centres, including the capital, Tehran, alongside the religious hubs of Qom and Mashhad. According to Iranian state media, the multi-day funeral ceremonies are scheduled to begin on July 4. The rituals will include events in Qom, a holy city south of Tehran, on July 7 and will conclude with his final burial on July 9 in his hometown, the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. While Islamic jurisprudence typically dictates that a deceased person be buried as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, exceptions are permissible, particularly during a state of war. Speculation regarding the timeline of the final ceremonies had been mounting since February, with early reports suggesting a late June date before state media officially confirmed the July schedule. On June 24, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state funeral and burial ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran, sources said. The official invitation marks a significant diplomatic engagement following the death of the 86-year-old leader, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28. Having headed the Islamic Republic for 36 years, Khamenei was killed on the first day of the military strikes directed against Tehran. (ANI)