Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran prepares to observe a week-long mourning period for the state funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, the Prime Minister was unlikely to travel to the West Asian country for the ceremony.
Iran Embassy in India posted on X the telephonic conversations that happened between the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian PM Narendra Modi.
The tweet read, "Prime Minister Modi formally invited to attend the upcoming BRICS Leaders Summit to be hosted by India and expressed hope that the meeting would contribute to further strengthening the multilateral cooperation among the member countries."
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi reiterated the points discussed during his telephone conversation with the Iranian President, stressing the critical importance of ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for both India and the wider international community.
Last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the burial-related ceremonies in Iran..
However, PM Modi is already scheduled to visit Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand starting July 6. Tehran has extended invitations to several foreign dignitaries to participate in the funeral procession.
Bihar Governor Lt. General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita are expected to head the Indian delegation to Iran for the funeral rites of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In 2024, then Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar represented the government at the funeral of President Ebrahim Raisi, after he died in a helicopter crash.
Khamenei was killed on 28 February, together with several close family members, following coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
On 5 March, India expressed its condolences when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signed the condolence book at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi. Prior to this, there had been no formal denunciation or public statement of sympathy regarding the Ayatollah’s death.
