Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not attend the funeral ceremonies of his father, Ali Khamenei, the former Leader of Iran, because of security concerns, according to his representative in India.
Ayatollah Hakim Elahi said Israeli threats and surveillance risks would make Mojtaba Khamenei's public appearance at the ceremonies "dangerous", news agency ANI reported.
Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, was killed on February 28, the day the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, setting off a wider conflict in the Middle East. His funeral ceremonies are scheduled to begin in Tehran on July 4 before concluding with his burial in his hometown of Mashhad, the holy city in northeastern Iran, on July 9.
As part of the six-day observances, funeral rituals will also be held in Qom, a holy city south of Tehran, on July 7, along with other religious ceremonies.
Iranian officials are expecting millions of people to participate in the funeral processions over the six-day period, making the ceremonies one of the most closely watched global events.
Across the country, large posters and giant billboards commemorating the late Khamenei have been installed in cities and towns.
Questions surrounding the timing of the final rites had persisted since March. Although Islamic jurisprudence generally requires burial to take place as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of death, the ongoing state of war resulted in an exception in this case.
According to sources, Bihar Governor General Syed Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pavitra Margarita will be part of the Indian delegation attending Ali Khamenei's funeral in Iran. Former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid is also expected to represent the Congress party during the burial ceremonies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the state funeral and burial ceremonies of the senior Shia cleric. However, PM Modi is unlikely to be part of the Indian delegation.
Iran and the United States signed a peace agreement last month, but both sides continued exchanging fire in the Middle East, leaving the truce under strain. Tehran targeted a commercial vessel that it said had deviated from its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US Central Command announced it had carried out strikes on 10 Iranian military targets. Iran later launched attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting condemnation from both countries.
Despite those incidents, the exchange of fire has appeared to subside in recent days.
On Thursday, Qatar and Pakistan held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha, where "positive progress" was reported on matters relating to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to Qatar's foreign ministry official spokesperson.
