Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
An Israeli drone strike has been reported near a hospital in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon's state news agency.
No immediate details were available on casualties or damage.
The reported strike comes amid continuing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and follows a series of recent exchanges involving Israeli forces and Hezbollah-linked targets.
Authorities have not yet provided further information on the incident.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is unlikely to attend the public funeral of his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, due to security concerns, India Today has reported.
Hakim Elahi, the Supreme Leader's representative in India, told India Today that Khamenei supposedly wanted to attend his father's funeral but security officials said it would be too dangerous.
The U.S. has "constantly demonstrated its complete contempt for genuine peace and security in West Asia," Iran's Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baqaei has said in a statement on social media.
Baqaei made the remarks in light of a meeting held between the U.S. military and army officials from 11 Middle Eastern and Arab countries, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria in Bahrain.
"Such gatherings are nothing more than performative posturing, aimed at concealing America’s destabilising policies and lawless behaviour in the region," Baqaei added.
Iran's ruling clerics are preparing days of mass funeral rites for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's former Supreme Leader was killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes in their first attack of the war in late February.
The funeral events will begin over the weekend in Tehran, with mass processions planned next week in Qom and Mashhad and ceremonies in Iraq.
"The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic," Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi declared to state media.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have killed five members of the banned Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in the country’s northwest, state media reported on Thursday, amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Kurdish militant groups.
The IRGC said the group was ambushed after entering Iranian territory in a mountainous border areas near Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan province, without specifying when the operation took place.
According to the Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw, the clashes took place on Wednesday evening.
The PDKI has been involved in decades of intermittent conflict with Iran's government, and Kurdish armed groups in the country have long been viewed by Tehran as separatist threats.
During the recent conflict with Tehran, U.S. and Israeli expectations that Kurdish fighters could play a ground role against Iran quickly faltered amid mixed signals from Washington and Israel, while Iranian threats and strikes against Kurdish positions in Iraq deterred the groups from entering the war.
A similar incident near Piranshahr was reported by state media on Tuesday, with the IRGC saying they had killed six members of what they described as an "opposition and separatist group".
On the same day, state media also reported that two members of the IRGC were killed and two were wounded in a shooting in Kermanshah province in western Iran that occurred on Monday evening.
The attack was claimed by a newly formed Kurdish armed group seeking retaliation for the IRGC's role in suppressing a 2022 to 2023 protest movement, according to Hengaw.
India has announced that Deputy Foreign Minister Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will represent the country at the state funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
India's foreign ministry said the high-level delegation reflects the importance of the longstanding ties between the two countries.
Khamenei was killed on 28 February as the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran. His funeral begins in Tehran on 4 July, with his burial in Mashhad on 9 July.
Iran's military has warned that all commercial vessels must use the maritime route designated by Tehran when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying any ships that fail to do so will "face the consequences".
In a statement, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters also warned that any U.S. interference in the strategic waterway would be met with a "decisive and swift response" from Iran's armed forces.
"The Strait of Hormuz is not the playground of the aggressor America, but rather the territory of the undisputed sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement said, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.
It added that safeguarding the security and stability of the vital shipping lane remains a "red line" for Iran's military.
An Iranian military commander warned the United States and Israel against launching any new attack on Iran as the country prepares for the state funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in airstrikes on the first day of the war.
Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Tehran warns its adversaries against “miscalculation” and vowed a harsh military response to any renewed threat or aggression.
A MarineTraffic map shows vessel traffic density in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Syria’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus would be open to meeting Hezbollah 'if interests require', according to Lebanese local media.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
The funeral ceremonies begin on 4 July and conclude with Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad on 9 July.
Iran warned on Thursday that any U.S. interference in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a "decisive and rapid" response, adding that the continued presence of U.S. air assets in the waterway threatened regional security.
Tehran also said all commercial vessels must follow Iranian-designated shipping routes through the strait or face an immediate response.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani arrived in Beirut on Thursday for talks with Lebanon's top leaders, his first visit since U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Syrian forces could help combat Hezbollah.
Damascus has repeatedly denied any plans to deploy troops to Lebanon.
Senior Chinese lawmaker He Wei will attend the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
He Wei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will represent Beijing at the ceremonies, which begin on 4 July and conclude with Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad on 9 July.
At least five supertankers carrying a combined 10 million barrels of Saudi crude have exited the Strait of Hormuz as Saudi Aramco accelerates exports to Asia, according to trade sources and shipping data.
The state oil giant has resumed loadings from Ras Tanura after a nearly four-month pause and is offering some cargoes on a spot pricing basis to boost demand, adding to a global supply glut that has helped push Brent crude to around $70 a barrel.
Asian shares fell on Thursday as investors took profits in chipmakers after a strong quarter, while markets awaited key U.S. jobs data that could influence expectations for interest rate hikes.
South Korea’s KOSPI led losses, dragged down by sharp declines in SK Hynix and Samsung, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the regional trend.
Meanwhile, Brent crude slipped to a four-month low near $71 a barrel after President Donald Trump said U.S.-Iran talks in Qatar had gone well and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased.
Iran is preparing what officials say will be the largest state funeral in its history for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with six days of ceremonies across five cities in Iran and Iraq beginning Saturday.
Authorities expect up to 20 million mourners and have tightened security ahead of the events, which will draw senior officials and religious leaders from dozens of countries.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators made “positive progress” during indirect talks in Doha, with the next round to be held “at the earliest possible time” after the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.
He added the discussions built on the outcomes of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and the Lake Lucerne Summit.
Iran's military is on high alert ahead of Khamenei's multi-day funeral, with expanded deployments and heightened security as foreign officials arrive.
“The army’s ground, naval and air forces have expanded their active presence across the country’s borders to help ensure security,” Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia told the IRNA news agency, adding that Iran’s air defence force is maintaining “continuous surveillance” of the country’s airspace.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has criticised a U.S.-led regional security meeting in Bahrain, insisting the Strait of Hormuz is "defined under Iran's command, not CENTCOM".
He said lasting security in the Gulf would come through an end to foreign intervention and respect for regional sovereignty, after officials from 12 countries backed efforts to protect shipping through the strategic waterway.
Iran has lodged a protest with the United Nations over what it says is an Israeli threat to assassinate Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
In a letter to the UN, Iran's ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani described the threat as "part of a deliberate and systematic policy of state terrorism" and accused the Security Council of allowing Israel to act with impunity.
He warned that Tehran would respond to any future hostile actions.
An explosive-laden drone struck a camp belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Iraq's Kurdistan region early on Thursday, Iraqi security sources said. The attack sparked a fire at the site in Koysanjaq, east of Erbil.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or any claim of responsibility.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States have concluded in Doha without any major breakthrough, with discussions focusing on implementing the existing ceasefire framework rather than Iran's nuclear programme.
Both sides described the talks as constructive and agreed to meet again after the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operation if negotiations fail.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
The Russia-Ukraine war is increasingly reshaping the Caspian region. From threats to energy infrastructure to renewed diplomatic efforts, countries across the region are adapting to the wider consequences of a conflict that continues to disrupt trade, transport and security.
A New York school district has put plans to introduce a humanoid robot into classrooms on hold after fierce criticism from teachers, Indigenous community members and state education officials over the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws introducing stricter financial requirements for foreign workers, as Moscow continues to tighten migration controls affecting millions of labour migrants, particularly from Central Asia.
President Donald Trump has dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, saying U.S. arms sales are decided by Washington alone. He also praised Türkiye as "a tremendous ally" and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as "a friend".
Pakistani businesses are warning that growing difficulties in obtaining United Arab Emirates (UAE) visas are disrupting trade, delaying investment and limiting access to a key export market, despite both Islamabad and Abu Dhabi saying there is no official visa ban.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve a dispute over trade restrictions imposed by Moscow, Yerevan's government said on Monday.
Türkiye has begun renovating the Akyaka-Gyumri railway as preparations continue for a possible reopening of the Armenia-Türkiye border and the reactivation of the Gyumri-Kars rail link.
Russia's Supreme Court has prohibited the transfer of funds to Digimarket, a U.S.$35 million offshore company linked to Ruben Vardanyan, as legal proceedings continue over efforts to recover more than U.S.$64 million from a loan company.
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