Iran is preparing for a week-long farewell to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during Israeli-U.S. air raids. His state funeral and burial will begin on 4 July amid continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The funeral, postponed for four months because of wartime conditions during the 40-day conflict, will be held across several cities, including the capital Tehran and the religious centres of Qom and Mashhad, where Ayatollah Khamenei will be laid to rest.
According to officials overseeing the funeral processions, memorial ceremonies will also be held in neighbouring Iraq, home to a Shia Muslim-majority population, reflecting Ayatollah Khamenei’s role as both a political leader and senior religious cleric.
The government has announced a nationwide public holiday on 6 July, in addition to two days of public holidays in Tehran and two further holidays in the provinces of Qom and Razavi Khorasan, which will host funeral events.
Millions of mourners are expected to attend ceremonies across the country. Restrictions on domestic and international flights have also been announced during the period, reportedly for logistical and security reasons.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led post-revolutionary Iran for nearly four decades and shaped the Islamic Republic’s domestic and foreign policies longer than any other political figure of his generation.
His burial is being portrayed as both a tribute to his legacy and a demonstration of post-war resilience and continuity under the leadership of his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
As preparations for the funeral dominate headlines in Iran, diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington are continuing in an attempt to preserve the ceasefire and pave the way for a broader peace agreement within a 60-day timeframe.
High-level talks mediated in Switzerland over the weekend, followed by expert-level discussions earlier this week, focused on U.S. sanctions relief and maintaining freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Iran and the U.S. are seeking to strengthen regional support through a series of high-level diplomatic visits.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visited Oman, followed by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s state visit to neighbouring Pakistan.
Both Pakistan and Oman recently helped mediate the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S., while Oman has long facilitated contacts and message exchanges between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who remained notably silent in the lead-up to the signing of the ceasefire agreement, is touring the Gulf region, with visits to Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite early post-truce statements suggesting progress, significant differences remain between Iran and the U.S., with longstanding disputes continuing to cast doubt over the durability of the ceasefire.
Washington has introduced a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil and gas exports. However, disagreements persist over oversight of Iran’s civilian nuclear programme and maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran is seeking exclusive control over its unfrozen assets and maintains a ban on inspections of nuclear facilities bombed last June. It is also insisting on control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, the waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
According to local media, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit Iraq on Sunday.
The Iran-U.S. ceasefire memorandum and plans relating to the former leader’s funeral in Iraq are reportedly expected to top the agenda during talks in Baghdad.
Azerbaijan is prepared to chair the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2028, the country's President Ilham Aliyev has said. He made th...
U.S. federal immigration agents shot and wounded a man in a car with a five-year-old boy inside in New York City’s Bronx neighbourhood on Thu...
Several powerful explosions reported in the south of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday may have been triggered by oil tankers hitting naval mines, I...
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
Azerbaijan is prepared to chair the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2028, the country's President Ilham Aliyev has said. He made the remarks as regional leaders met at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis on Sunday, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Governments from the Persian Gulf to the Horn of Africa are hedging against a conflict they cannot control, with contingency plans beginning to reshape trade routes, alliances and the regional map.
A supertanker which was cruising through the Strait of Hormuz was targetted by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, according to an Iranian news agency which said the vessel was “violating” navigation rules at the Strait of Hormuz on 1 October.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment