Indian dignitaries pay tribute to late Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei ahead of funeral

The Embassy of Iran in India announced on X that an Indian delegation paid tribute to the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as Tehran began formal state funeral ceremonies attended by foreign dignitaries, religious leaders and representatives from nearly 100 countries.The embassy also shared photographs of the delegation, including People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who heads the party's foreign affairs department, and other Indian representatives, ahead of their participation in the funeral ceremonies.Mufti departed from New Delhi on Thursday evening, becoming the only non-Shia politician from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh invited by Iran to attend the ceremonies scheduled from July 4 to July 9.Funeral ceremonies begin at Tehran's grand mosallaAccording to Iranian state media, the first phase of the funeral ceremonies began at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where the mortal remains of Ayatollah Khamenei and his companions were placed inside the main prayer hall.Representatives of Iran's recognised religious minorities also attended the opening ceremony, highlighting the broad participation in the national mourning.Authorities have mounted one of the largest security operations in Iran's recent history as the funeral procession moves through multiple cities in Iran and Iraq, including Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Najaf and Karbala.Officials said aviation assets may be deployed to monitor crowd movement during the ceremonies.Due to heightened security concerns, Mojtaba Khamenei, the current supreme leader, will not attend the funeral of his father.Catch the latest world news and top headlines.

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