By Admin 
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain paid tribute on behalf of India at the funeral ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei’s coffin was carried through major streets of Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran has thanked India. Tehran has thanked India at a time when reports are coming from Iranian media that due to American pressure, many countries have backed out from Khamenei’s last salute program.
13 countries succumbed to US pressure
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, at least 13 countries, including two Gulf countries, did not attend Khamenei’s funeral following US pressure. According to the report, US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio himself had contacted the five Gulf countries regarding this. He had appealed to those countries not to attend the funeral to be held in Tehran. On the other hand, on Monday (6 July 2026), the Iranian Embassy in India posted on Facebook thanking the Indian government and the Indian people who participated in the funeral programs. Iran said that this presence of India reflects the old and strong relations between the two countries.
Iran thanked India
The Iranian Embassy tweeted, ‘Iran expresses its heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the friendly government of India and its people. Especially the government delegation, which participated in the funeral programs on behalf of the Government of India and the public and paid its tribute to the martyred leader of Iran, His Excellency Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
The official Indian delegation was accompanied by several other Indian dignitaries to Iran, including former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and religious leaders representing different religions in India. Iran said, ‘Our people will never forget the spirit of friendship, compassion and respect. This will serve as a valuable foundation to further strengthen the long-standing friendship between our two countries.
America stopped many countries from attending the funeral
According to the report of Tasnim News Agency, there was a huge diplomatic tussle between America and Iran regarding Khamenei’s funeral in Iran. The report claimed that about a week before the funeral, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US ambassadors present in different countries had started a deliberate campaign so that the governments of other countries could be kept away from this program. American embassies had clearly warned many governments that attending Khamenei’s funeral would be considered hostility against America.
Some countries were even threatened that if they went to the funeral, the aid they received from America could be cut. According to the report, quoting two Arab diplomats, it was said that Marco Rubio himself had contacted the governments of at least five Arab countries and advised them not to go to Tehran. The effect of American pressure was that about 13 countries either completely distanced themselves from this funeral or kept their presence there very less.
Many countries did not participate in Khamenei’s last salute
These included three from Eastern Europe, five from Africa, two Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and two big countries from East Asia, although their names were not disclosed in the report. At present, there has been no official statement from the US State Department or Marco Rubio on this matter. Experts from Gulf countries say that while on one hand Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman sent their official delegations to Khamenei’s funeral despite American pressure, on the other hand countries like United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Bahrain completely stayed away from this program.