India's Narendra Modi skips Ayatollah Khamenei funeral, sends senior officials

Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in a February 28 U.S.-Israel airstrike, will be laid to rest with a public viewing on July 4 at Tehran's Grand Mosalla and final rites on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend, but India confirmed that Modi will miss the ceremonies due to pre‑arranged foreign trips to Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. Instead, a delegation led by Bihar Governor Lieutenant‑General Syed Ata Hasan and a senior foreign‑ministry minister will represent India at the events.

The arrangement underscores ongoing diplomatic ties between Tehran and New Delhi despite regional tensions, and highlights the logistical constraints of high‑level leaders' international travel schedules.