Iran President invites PM Modi to attend Ali Khamenei’s state funeral from July 5 to 9: Sources | World

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is learnt to have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the burial ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday. The funeral ceremonies will be held from July 5 to 9. However, there is no confirmation from New Delhi on the invitation to PM Modi.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for three decades, was killed on February 28, the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran. The Indian prime minister has been invited by President Pezeshkian to the burial ceremonies, the diplomatic sources said.

Funeral is slated to be held in Tehran and Qom on July 5, 6, and 7

The funeral is slated to be held in Tehran and Qom on July 5, 6, and 7. The final ceremony will take place in the city of Mashhad on July 9.

Officials expect millions of mourners to take part in the funeral ceremonies, which will mark the formal farewell to a leader who shaped Iran’s political system for nearly four decades. The burial service was originally expected to take place in Tehran and Mashhad between March 4 and March 6, 2026, but was delayed due to the war.

Funeral is expected to witness nearly 20 million mourners 

Reports suggest that the funeral is expected to witness nearly 20 million mourners in Tehran, Mashad and Qom and if the numbers turn out to be accurate, it could break the 10-million record set by the 1989 funeral of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

After Ali Khamenei’s death, his 56-year-old Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has been serving as the Supreme Leader of Iran since March 8. However, questions about his health and whereabouts have persisted after several senior US officials, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, claiming that he is in a coma.

Iran and US have agreed to a peace deal after months of conflict

On the war front, Iran and the US have agreed to a peace deal after months of conflict, which plunged West Asia into crisis and triggered a global fuel and energy crunch. Iran President Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump signed digital MoUs separately, and long-term peace talks between the two sides are ongoing in Switzerland.

In another development, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday met with Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership and discussed regional developments and peace initiatives involving the US.

Pezeshkian, who arrived in Pakistan on a day-long visit, held separate talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“The peace deal between the US and Iran would bring a new era in the region,” Prime Minister Sharif said during a joint press conference with President Pezeshkian following their delegation-level talks. His visit comes days after Iran held talks with the US in Switzerland, where the two sides agreed on a roadmap to seal a final deal in 60 days.

The high-level talks at the Lake Lucerne Summit in Switzerland, held on Sunday and Monday, took place under the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the US and Iran to advance negotiations on regional security and other contentious issues. The US and Iran signed the Islamabad MoU on Thursday to restore peace in West Asia, advance negotiations on regional security and other contentious issues.

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Iran announces burial date for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Why the slain Supreme Leader’s funeral was delayed