• The opening day of funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed with members of his family at the onset of the US-Israel war on Iran, has concluded.
• The leaders of the United Kingdom and France have released a joint declaration concerning the Strait of Hormuz, labeling it “a vital artery for the global economy” and emphasizing that “restoring safe transit for ships of all nations through the Strait is a matter of global concern”.
• Tehran has pledged to utilize all accessible legal and diplomatic avenues to contest what Iran’s president described as illegal actions carried out against the nation by the United States and Israel.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have conducted discussions, during which they agreed to arrange an upcoming meeting in the United States.
• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated during a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart that the US needs to acknowledge that the geopolitical landscape has shifted following the war against Iran.
• The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it “will respond and strike with utmost firmness and unprecedented force” to counter any threats from Houthi forces.

Traffic through Strait of Hormuz recovering but ‘fragile’: Shipping monitor

Ship-tracking firm Kpler says maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to recover but “remains fragile”.

The monitoring firm said 38 crossings of the strait were confirmed on July 2, down 10 percent from the day before “but still within the emerging 30 to 60 crossings per day range”.

Iranian-flagged activity “rose sharply”, it added, with ship operators shifting towards “Iranian and Dark or Unknown” routes through the waterway.

“The pattern suggests confidence remains incomplete, with passage increasingly shaped by political acceptance, compliance exposure and unresolved negotiations over fees and route governance,” it said.

Tehran hits back, mocks Trump’s claim that Iran needs US food support

Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has hit back at US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Iran’s food situation.

In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Trump repeated his claim that Iran will buy agricultural products from the US as part of any future peace deal, which Iran has denied.

“They need food. They need corn and wheat and soya beans, and we’re going to have exclusively our American farmers provide,” Trump told the US broadcaster.

Ghalibaf responded on X a few hours ago, dismissing the US president’s assertions.

“Imagine having 40-something million of your own citizens on food stamps and calling another nation hungry,” he said.

“This is not a proclamation. This is a projection. Keep your SNAP advice,” he said.

“Our assets, our choices. Mind your malnutrition rates,” he added.

 

More than 42 million people in the United States were participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) last year, commonly referred to as the food stamp program, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Attendees in Tehran for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral

Regional and neighboring leaders

• Iraq: President and parliament speaker
• Pakistan: Prime Minister, Senate chairman, and army chief
• Afghanistan: Deputy prime minister and foreign minister
• Armenia: Prime minister
• Turkey: Vice president
• Arab States and Gulf nations
• Saudi Arabia: Deputy foreign minister
• Qatar: Shura Council speaker
• Oman: State Council chairman
• Yemen: Vice president
• Egypt: Senate speaker
   

International representatives

• Russia: Security Council deputy chairman (serving as special envoy)
• China: Vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (leading a national delegation)
• Belarus: House of Representatives speaker
• Georgia: President
• Serbia: Information and telecommunications minister
• Turkmenistan: National leader
• Uzbekistan: Parliament speaker
• Kazakhstan: Foreign minister
• Kyrgyzstan: Parliament speaker
• India: State governor (leading a national delegation) and a former state chief minister
• Bangladesh: Parliament speaker
• Malaysia: Special envoy
• Myanmar: Special envoy
• Thailand: Thai Shia Muslim groups
• Burkina Faso: Foreign minister
• Republic of the Congo: Foreign minister
• Namibia: Presidential affairs minister
• Nicaragua: Foreign minister
   

International organisations & regional alliances

• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Developing-8 (D-8)
• Political and armed groups

Leaders and senior representatives from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Yemeni factions, Lebanese political groups, Palestinian religious scholar associations, and Bulgarian political delegations.

Farewell ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei officially begin in Iran

Iranian media reports that the official farewell ceremony for the late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has commenced at the Tehran Mosalla and its surrounding streets.

According to the Tasnim news agency, the doors to the major prayer complex have opened to accommodate millions of mourners gathering in the capital to pay their final respects.

Chants of ‘revenge’ and ‘death to America’ heard at Ali Khamenei’s funeral

Thousands of mourners carrying red banners, a symbol associated with calls for revenge, are gathered in the courtyard of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex awaiting the arrival of Khamenei’s coffin, chanting “death to America” and “revenge, revenge”, the AFP news agency is reporting from the venue.

Mourners were seen crowding outside some of the city’s metro stations this morning waiting for the rapid transport system to open so that they too could attend the funeral.

Trump says Iran wants to ‘settle’, Tehran given ‘week off’ for Khamenei funeral

President Donald Trump said that Iran wants to ‘settle’ with the United States, adding that Washington gave Tehran time off for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed early in the war during a joint US-Israeli attack.

In a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday night to kick off the 250th anniversary celebrations of the United States, Trump bragged at length about US exceptionalism, the threat of communism and his country’s military might in the world.

“We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran. They’re dying to settle; they want to settle so badly,” Trump claimed.

“We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice,” he added.

State media shows unveiling of late supreme leader’s coffin

The coffin of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as those of his slain family members, has been unveiled inside a glass case before weeping mourners in Tehran, according to video footage broadcast on Iranian state media.

The broadcast images showed thousands of grieving people gathered at the site to pay their final respects to the late leader.

New supreme leader unlikely to attend father’s funeral due to concerns over Israeli attack

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is unlikely to attend the multiple days of funeral ceremonies for his father, the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, due to concerns for his safety, said Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at the University of Tehran.

“I dont’ think so, because right now there are lots of concerns regarding the Israelis’ aggression towards the Iranians and also towards the new supreme leader,” Eslami said.

“What we know about the Israelis is that they do not respect any conduct of … international law, and it publicly threatens to do some kind of operations in Iran,” he said.

“The Israelis want to sabotage the interim deal between the Iranians and Americans, and it wants to do these kinds of actions in Iran, and I think this is not the moment for the new supreme leader to attend these kinds of ceremonies in public,” he added.

Iranian officials see Khamenei’s killing as a ‘strike at the heart of the country’

For Iran, this funeral is more than a funeral for their leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei. It marks more than 40 years that shaped almost every institution of the state.

Khamenei became the supreme leader in 1989, as Iran was recovering from the war with Iraq. His office became the centre of power, overseeing the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting and strategic appointments.

A cornerstone of his rule was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Under Khamenei, the IRGC evolved into a dominant player in security, politics and the economy.

Iran also invested heavily in ballistic missiles, considering them a deterrent against the US and regional rivals. It became a contentious issue with the world, but not as much as Iran’s nuclear program.

Khamenei insisted Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons but defended its right to enrich uranium. That triggered sanctions from the US and Europe.

His regional strategy relied on allied governments and armed groups. The policy expanded Iran’s influence but deepened tensions with Gulf Arab states and the US.

Khamenei was assassinated on February 28, 2026, the first day of the conflict with the US and Israel.

Iranian officials saw his killing as an attempt to strike at the heart of the country, while some who deeply revered him believed his death would weaken the system.

Khamenei funeral sends message of Iranian government continuity

Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at the University of Tehran, has said that the ongoing funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are intended to highlight the ayatollah’s place in Iran’s history and project an image of continuity to the wider world.

“The supreme leader … is among the only leaders in the history of the Iranians who were killed by their adversaries during the war. He was not among the leaders who just sat and said something to other persons to do. He was at the front of the battle with the adversaries,” Eslami said.

“This is the message that the Iranian government wants to send to other countries. And they want to [say] that his approach toward the region, his approach towards government will continue after him,” he added.

Eslami said the likely absence from the ceremonies of the late ayatollah’s son and successor as supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is a necessary security precaution after months of US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and an opportunity to focus on securing his new position.

“I think for him it is time to think about the real points on the ground. The main objective now is to secure the leadership, and his leadership, in this fragile moment,” he said.

Red flags calling for ‘revenge’ seen at Khamenei’s funeral

Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at the University of Tehran, told Al Jazeera that followers of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have made red flags to symbolize the call for revenge.

“They are asking the Iranian government to kill those who have killed their supreme leader,” he said.

“We should consider that the late supreme leader was more than a kind of head of the state,” he added.

Iranian official warns against presence of ‘extra regional powers’ in Hormuz

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has warned that the Strait of Hormuz is not a “theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers”.

Gharibabadi’s warning came after the UK and France said they were ready to support freedom of navigation in the strait.

“Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of the Strait’s security, warns with sensitivity to any military movement in this waterway,” Gharibabadi said on X.

“The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states; the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism; this is a serious warning.”

Mojtaba Khamenei not attending his father’s funeral

Paul Musgrave, an associate professor at Georgetown University of Qatar, has said that it is understandable why Iran’s current supreme leader is not attending his father’s funeral.

“Iran has considered the possibility that Israel would carry out a second decapitation strike here [at the funeral]. In the past, Israel has used funeral processions to target political leaders,” he said.

But he said that eventually the leader of the country should be seen in public, adding that it has been months since Mojtaba Khamenei was seen in person.

“I think that eventually Iran is going to have to find a way to show that this is not a hidden supreme leader but someone actually in charge. Despite the legitimate security concerns that Tehran might have, eventually they’re going to have to make that happen,” Musgrave said.

“Iraq is a majority Shia country and in the last several months, parallel to the war, Iraq has gone through a torturous process of selecting a new prime minister in which the US and Iran have been trying to gain position. US vis-a-vis looking at who is going to form the government and Iran in terms of making sure its militias aren’t mobilized,” he said.

Musgrave noted that the funeral procession in Iraq displays the demonstration of Iran’s ties with the country.

He also said that Iran’s late supreme leader was also an important figure in Iraq.

“The late ayatollah was a political figure in part because of his ties to the Shia community and Shia minorities there,” he said.

“Najaf is an important region for Shia Muslims, so there are some political elements in holding a funeral procession in Iraq, but it is also a signal about Iran’s scope and its ability to have ties beyond these shared identities.”

Khamenei funeral marks end of an era in Iran

Iran is holding funeral ceremonies for its longest-serving leader.

Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989 as Iran was recovering from the war with Iraq. His office went on to oversee the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting and key strategic appointments.

Under his rule, the IRGC became a dominant force in security, politics and the economy. Iran also expanded its ballistic missile program, viewing it as deterrence against the US, Israel and regional rivals.

His nuclear policy remained one of the most contentious issues with the West. Khamenei insisted Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons, while defending its right to enrich uranium.

His regional strategy relied on allied governments and armed groups, expanding Iran’s influence but deepening tensions with Gulf Arab states, Israel and the US.

Rather than weakening the state, his death has become a rallying point for many Iranians.

Khamenei made Iran’s government ‘resilient’

Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran, said that Iran’s former supreme leader created a “resilient” system of government in Iran and institutionalized it so that it does not rely on personalities.

“That’s why Iran survived the US-Israeli war … despite the supreme leader and top military commanders being assassinated on the first day of the war,” he said. “That is one of Khamenei’s greatest achievements.”

New supreme leader ‘architect of Iran controlling Strait of Hormuz’

Iran’s new supreme leader believes in a more assertive foreign policy compared to his late father, Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran, says.

“Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is the architect of controlling the Strait of Hormuz and obtaining fees in return for services in his 60-day period” said Dareini from Tehran.

He added that the new supreme leader “is more of a realist than his father, in that he believes in a more assertive foreign policy”.

Dareini added that Mojtaba Khamenei’s approach to both foreign and domestic issues needed to be viewed in the context of the challenges Iran has recently faced.

“The top priority for Iran is to preserve its political independence and territorial integrity,” said Dareini while acknowledging the new supreme leader faced rising public discontent over rising prices and inflation.

“One of his plans is to bring about national solidarity at home and also fighting corruption.”

Erdogan says Israel trying to undermine US-Iran MoU

President Erdogan has accused Israel of undermining the recent MoU, adding that Turkey “stands ready to support any effort to achieve peace in the region”.

“We know the mediation process was full of difficulties,” he said during a media conference with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul.

Erdogan warned Israel not to undermine regional peace.

“It is clear that Israel’s survival depends on regional conflicts, including in Syria and in Lebanon.”

Iran’s foreign ministry says Tehran will seek justice against US, Israel

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying the nation will seek justice against the US and Israel, and that this will remain an enduring cause.

It also stated that the presence of high-level delegations from the region and around the world attending the farewell ceremonies for late supreme leader was a clear indication of his stature and the greatness of the Iranian people.

Reza Pahlavi slams funeral of ‘deceased dictator’ Khamenei

The exiled former crown prince of Iran has addressed foreign dignitaries who traveled to Tehran to pay their respects to Khamenei, calling him a “deceased dictator” that is not mourned by the people.

“Iran is mourning more than 40,000 sons and daughters slaughtered on January 8 and 9 by Khamenei, Ghalibaf, and their machinery of repression,” Pahlavi said on X, referring to protests over economic grievances that were violently repressed.

“The regime is spending vast amounts of the Iranian people’s wealth to stage this propaganda spectacle, yet not a single democratic leader attended,” he added.

“What you see today is not a nation in grief for its ruler. It is a nation filled with righteous anger, and that anger and heroic bravery will bring down what remains of this criminal regime.”

The primary instrument of this repression was SAVAK, the Shah's secret police, which was notorious for its severe treatment of political prisoners, intellectuals, and dissidents.

Systematic Torture and Abuse

• Detainees held in facilities like Evin Prison were subjected to extreme physical and psychological torment.

Documented human rights abuses by SAVAK included:

• Severe Physical Beating: Including the traditional bastinado (beating the soles of the feet) and electric shocks.
• Mutilation and Burns: Methods included nail extractions, cigarette burns, and the use of hot grills.
• Psychological Terror: Interrogators frequently used sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, mock executions, and the use of animals (such as snakes) to terrify prisoners.

‘They want revenge for Khamenei’s killing’

The Grand Mosalla of Tehran, where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered some of his most important speeches over the years, has today become the focal point of national mourning.

Large crowds are passing through the open square to pay their respects to the supreme leader who was assassinated by the US and Israel on February 28 this year, in the holy month of Ramadan.

The atmosphere is deeply emotional.

Some mourners are in tears, while others wave Iranian flags and hold up portraits of the late supreme leader and recite prayers.

The sentiments have also taken on a political tone, with chants of “death to America and death to Israel” echoing through the crowds.

Many of the mourners present are calling for revenge for Khamenei’s killing.

The funeral is also a moment of political consolidation for the country’s new leadership, which is projecting unity at a time of uncertainty.

It’s an opportunity for them to reaffirm continuity of authority and signal stability.

‘China, others to receive special treatment in Hormuz’- Iranian envoy to Beijing

Iran’s ambassador to China says China and other friendly countries will receive special treatment in the Strait of Hormuz.

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said there will be a new arrangement to facilitate China and others in Hormuz “in coordination with Oman”.

Part of this arrangement will be the imposition of fees on vessels passing through the strait, according to the ambassador.

“The application of this fee will not contradict the international laws of the sea.”

The envoy made the remarks in a speech at the World Peace Forum held in Beijing on Saturday.

India ends gas restrictions as Middle East LNG supply resumes

India has lifted curbs on suppliers of liquefied natural gas after the resumption of supply from the Middle East, according to an Indian government notification.

Emergency government measures were invoked in March to divert gas supplies from non-priority sectors to key consumers because of ‌disruption to LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran defense chief vows ‘decisive’ response if ceasefire deal violated

Acting Defense Minister, Majid Ibn al-Reza, said Iran would give a “necessary and decisive” response if commitments under the MoU with the US are violated, report Iranian state media.

The ISNA news agency quoted him as saying that Tehran signed the ceasefire at the request of regional countries, despite its distrust of Washington.

Russia ready to continue strategic partnership with Iran: Medvedev

Moscow is ready to continue its strategic partnership with Iran following the war with the US and Israel, says Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman, Dmitry Medvedev.

The former Russian president was speaking in Tehran, where he is leading the Russian delegation at the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Speaking to the Tasnim news agency, Medvedev said the Strait of Hormuz gave Iran unprecedented leverage during the war.

“It’s Iran’s nuclear weapon.”

Trump ‘shocked’ over Iranians mourning Khamenei

Donald Trump said he was “shocked” to see Iranians cry at Khamenei’s funeral. “I thought people hated him,” Trump reportedly told Axios.

The US President told Barak Ravid in a phone interview that he could “eliminate everyone” attending the funeral but “there will be no one left to negotiate” if he went ahead with his threat.

Trump told Axios that Iran and the US had decided to take a break from talks until after Khamenei’s funeral.

“Neither side will shoot the other during the funeral proceedings,” he said.

Egyptian FM calls for sustaining momentum to fulfill US-Iran MoU conditions

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to maintain momentum to fulfill the conditions of the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran.

Abdelatty said this is essential to consolidate de-escalation between the two sides, and to ensure regional security and stability.

The Egyptian foreign minister made the remarks during a meeting with the EU’s commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, in Cairo.

El-Sisi calls for urgent implementation of Gaza ceasefire, Iran MoU

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has stressed the need for the urgent implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, signed in Sharm el-Sheikh last October, as well as the US-Iran MoU signed last month in Switzerland.

El-Sisi said any attempt to undermine both the Gaza and the Iran ceasefire deal had to be prevented.

The Egyptian president revealed that his country had lost more than $10bn in revenue from the Suez Canal as a result of Houthi attacks on vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea.

Iranian president criticizes international silence over Israeli actions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has criticized the international community’s failure to stop Israel from attacking multiple countries in the region and for the instability across the Middle East.

Speaking during an event commemorating the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian said Iran’s new leadership bears a heavy responsibility to work towards strengthening Islamic unity and expanding solidarity among Muslim states.

Turkey's Erdogan says Israel must not be able to ‘dynamite’ US-Iran deal

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that peace efforts in the Middle East could not succeed without regional backing, adding that Israel must not be allowed to “dynamite” the United States-Iran deal.

Speaking today in Istanbul alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Erdogan said that “no solution that does not take strength from the will and contributions of regional countries can be lasting”.

“We are closely following the Israeli administration’s attempts to dynamite the [US-Iran] deal … The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again,” he added.

The Turkish leader has repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, and has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s attacks in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.