About 100 people from Karnataka attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran

A view of Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral procession in Tehran. | Photo credit: Reuters

About 100 people from Karnataka, mostly residents of Alipura, Chikkaballapur district, are currently attending the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran, said Syed Hakim Raza, president of the Indo-Iranian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

It can be noted that the village of Alipura is close to Khamenei because he visited this village earlier.

Some of these Kannadigas are already based in Iran as students of religious institutions, medical students, doctors or businessmen, while others flew from Bengaluru to the Iranian capital via Mumbai on a chartered Iran Air flight on Sunday, Hakim Raza told The Hindu.

Former Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28. His daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and his 14-month-old granddaughter were martyred along with him.

According to Mr. Hakim Raza, Iran secured the ceasefire in April on its own, and the June memorandum of understanding is proof that the country is stable enough to host the funeral and representatives from more than 100 countries, including India, taking part.

A resident of Alipura, Faizan Raza, said: “He (Khamenei) was loved more than our father; this martyrdom shook our hearts and souls. It is a must to attend the farewell. So I traveled from Alipura.”

Mr. Hakim Raza further said that the 40-day mourning period and week-long public holiday reflect the view that this tragedy was not just a private family loss, but a collective national blow that combined personal grief with national resolve.

Hormuz

Regarding Iran’s policy on the Strait of Hormuz, he noted, Iran’s policy has long been to keep the Strait of Hormuz open under normal circumstances, recognizing its vital importance to friendly nations, including India, whose energy security depends heavily on those waters.

“From this perspective, past mentions of closing the strait were not conceived as threats to friendly nations or international trade, but as a strategic deterrent against external aggression,” he added.

The participation of the Indian political delegation at the funeral was presented as a reaffirmation that the ties between Iran and India persist, even amid heightened tensions in the region, Mr. Hakim Razafurther said.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 23:34 IST