Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invites PM Modi to attend Khamenei's state funeral

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has sent a formal invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the funeral and burial ceremony of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

It is yet to be decided who will represent India for Khaenei's funeral ceremony.

Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli military airstrike on his compound in Tehran on February 28, 2026. The funeral proceedings will span several days, which were originally planned for March and delayed because of the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.

There will be a series of ceremonies taking place between July 4 and July 9. Starting with state funeral on July 4, the final burial ceremony will take place on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown in northeastern Iran.

Who was Khamenei?

Born in Mashhad in 1939, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989. He was Iran’s highest authority -- even above the president.

US President Donald Trump announced his death through social media. Iranian state media later confirmed the news.

How did Khamenei die?

Supreme Leader Khamenei was holding a high-level meeting with his top aides when US and Israeli forces launched the attack. The strike reportedly occurred during the meeting and killed him and other members of the delegation.

Several senior officials were reportedly present during high-level security discussions.