Candles lit during a condolence meeting for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in New Delhi, on March 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel to Tehran to attend the burial ceremonies of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who was assassinated in joint Israel-U.S. attack on February 28, diplomatic sources have told The Hindu. The sources said the invite for Mr. Modi was conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) though the MEA officials did not clarify whether Mr. Modi would travel for the funeral which will be held between July 3 and 9 and cover multiple cities such as Tehran, Qom and Mashhad.
Iran has announced that the burial ceremonies for the Supreme Leader will take place in Tehran and Qom on July 5, 6 and 7 while the final burial ceremony will take place in the city of Mashhad on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Mr. Modi is expected to visit Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand between July 6 and 11 and there is no official communication on whether the Prime Minister would visit for the official burial of the late Ayatollah.
Bilateral cooperation
Iran’s Minister of Petroleum Mohsen Paknejad arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday to participate in the meetings related to energy cooperation among BRICS member-states, the Embassy of Iran has announced. “During his visit, Mr. Paknejad is scheduled to hold talks with Indian officials and representatives of the country’s energy sector. Expanding bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector, exploring investment opportunities, and exchanging views on the latest developments in the global energy market are among the main topics on the agenda,” said the Embassy of Iran in an announcement.
Former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar had represented India in the official burial ceremony of Iran’s then President Ibrahim Raisi who had died in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. Mr. Modi had visited the United Arab Emirates on May 15 and before that he had visited Israel during February 25-26. The previous four months have seen disruption in India’s energy and fertilizer supplies because of the U.S.-Israel vs Iran war which has led to a retaliatory Iranian chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. India has maintained communication with all sides to ensure safety for its civilians in the Gulf states as well as for its energy and fertilizer imports from the region.
Published – June 24, 2026 09:39 pm IST
