Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to sources. The funeral rites are scheduled to start on July 4 and end with burial in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad on July 9. The 86-year-old leader was killed on February 28 during the first day of Israeli and US airstrikes on Tehran after serving as supreme leader for 36 years. State media indicated that ceremonies will also take place in Qom on July 7. Although Islamic law calls for prompt burial, exceptions apply during wartime. Initial reports suggested a late June burial, but state media later confirmed the July date. The event is expected to draw nearly 20 million mourners across Tehran, Mashhad and Qom, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to attend. Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, has acted as Supreme Leader since March 8, though questions about his condition continue. Iran and the United States have reached a peace agreement following months of conflict that caused a regional crisis and global energy shortages. Separate digital memoranda were signed by Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, with further talks underway in Switzerland.
