Mojtaba Khamenei To Skip Father Ali Khamenei's Funeral Over Security Concerns: Report

Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not attend the funeral ceremonies of his father, Ali Khamenei - the former Leader of Iran - over security concerns, his representative in India has reportedly said.According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the Israeli threats and surveillance risks would make Mojtaba's public attendance "dangerous", reported news agency ANI.Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, was killed on February 28 - the day the US and Israel began striking Iran, triggering a war in the Middle East. The former Supreme Leader's funeral ceremonies will begin in Tehran on July 4 and conclude with his burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, on July 9.The funeral rituals will include events in Qom - a holy city south of Tehran, on July 7, and other religious observances.Iranian authorities expect millions of mourners to hit the streets over the six-day period, making the funeral one of the closely tracked global events.Mourners gathered around the coffin of Ali KhameneiPhoto Credit: AFPMany posters and giant billboards have been put up across Iran showing the late Khamenei.Add image caption herePhoto Credit: AFPPhoto Credit: AFPSpeculations regarding the timeline of the final ceremonies had been building since March. While the Islamic jurisprudence typically dictates that a dead person be buried as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, this was an exception due to a state of war.Indian delegation to attend Ali Khamenei's funeralAccording to sources, Bihar Governor General Syed Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pavitra Margarita will be part of the Indian delegation at Ali Khamenei's funeral ceremony in Iran. Additionally, former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid will reportedly represent the Congress party at the burial ceremonies.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state funeral and the burial ceremonies for the top Shia cleric. However, PM Modi is unlikely to be part of the delegation.Iran-US dealIran and the US signed a peace deal last month, but continued to exchange fire in the Middle East, putting the truce into a fragile state. While Tehran targeted a commercial ship - it said had strayed from its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command responded by saying it had struck 10 Iranian military targets. Iran then hit US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, drawing condemnation from both states.The exchanges of fire, however, have appeared to ease in recent days.On Thursday, Qatar and Pakistan concluded separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha, with "positive progress" reported on issues related to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Qatar's foreign ministry official spokesperson said.