Iran invites Congress president Kharge, former EAM Salman Khurshid, Pawan Khera for Khamenei funeral

Iran has invited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and head of the party’s media and publicity wing Pawan Khera to attend the funeral rites of late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sources said on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

This comes amid reports that Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) and External Affairs Minister Pabitra Margherita will lead the Indian delegation to Iran for the funeral rites.

The final composition of the delegation has not been finalized yet.

A day ago (Tuesday, June 30, 2026), Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Mr. Pezeshkian had invited Mr. Modi to attend ceremonies related to his funeral in Iran. But Mr Modi is understood to have prior commitments to travel to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand between July 6 and 11.

The Indian delegation will be among a large group of foreign dignitaries invited by Tehran for funeral-related events that will begin on July 3 and continue until July 9. diplomatic sources, Hindu While the ceremonies were previously held in the capital Tehran and the holy city of Qom, the funeral ceremony will be held in Mashhad, the famous pilgrimage center in northeastern Iran. The choice of Mashhad for the funeral shows the high esteem in which he was held after the assassination.