About 100 people from Karnataka, mostly residents of Alipura, Chikkaballapur district, are currently attending the funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran, said Syed Hakim Raza, president of the Indo-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
It may be noted that the Alipura village has an affinity towards Khamenei as he had visited this village earlier.
Some of these Kannadigas are already based in Iran as students of religious institutions, medical students, medical professionals or doing business, while others flew in from Bengaluru to Iran’s capital via Mumbai on a chartered Iran Air flight on Sunday, Mr. Hakim Raza told The Hindu.
Iran’s former Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli air strike operation on February 28. Alongside him, his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and his 14-month-old granddaughter were also martyred.
According to Mr. Hakim Raza, Iran secured a ceasefire in April itself, and an MoU in June is proof that the country is stable enough to host the funeral and the representatives attending it from over 100 countries, including India.
An Alipura resident, Faizan Raza, said, “He (Khamenei) was loved more than our father; this martyrdom has shaken our hearts and our souls. It is a must to attend the farewell. So, I travelled from Alipura.’’
Mr. Hakim Raza further said that the 40-day mourning period and week-long public holiday reflected the view that this tragedy was not merely a private family loss, but a collective national wound that united personal grief with national resolve.
Hormuz
On Iran’s policy on the Strait of Hormuz, he commented, Iran’s policy has long been to keep the Strait of Hormuz open under normal circumstances, recognising its vital importance to the friendly nations, including India, whose energy security depends heavily on these waters.
“From this perspective, past references to closing the strait have been framed not as threats to friendly nations or international commerce, but as a strategic deterrent against external aggression,’’ he added.
The attendance of India’s Political Delegation at the funeral was presented as a reaffirmation that the bonds between Iran and India endure, even amid heightened tensions in the region, Mr. Hakim Razafurther said.