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Mourners begin wait to pay respects to Khamenei
Crowds hoping to pay their respects to the late supreme leader have begun to gather outside the Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran, which opens to the public on Saturday at 6am local time (0230 GMT).
AFP reported some were weeping while others sat patiently on the sidewalk as poems and eulogies were being recited and religious chants broadcast in the background.
"We were told the doors might open as early as tonight," said 44-year-old teacher Somayye Hamedi, standing in front of the main entrance of the Mosalla. "We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn't painful or difficult for us," she told AFP.
"Coming here is the last and only thing one can do" for Khamenei, who "sacrificed his life" for Iran, said Fatemeh Nowdehi, a 25-year-old student from northern Iran who came to volunteer and assist other visitors who, she worried, may suffer from heatstroke in the as temperatures are expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
'Many people' in Tehran leaving to avoid funeral ceremony, residents say
Despite claims by the Iranian authorities that Khamenei's funeral will attract 15-20 million mourners, not all Iranians are planning to attend. In fact many are leaving Tehran before the main event according to residents in the capital interviewed by AFP.
"From what I can see, many people in Tehran are actually leaving the city and escaping the messy, crowded city and ceremony," said translator Azadeh, 43. "I don't know who is supposed to make up the '15 million' attendees they're talking about. People are saying government employees and even schoolchildren are being bused in from other cities to Tehran on Saturday."
"Despite the intense heat, the roads leading out of Tehran are packed. Many Tehran residents have already headed north, and I'm leaving too because staying in the city has become really difficult," added Saeid, 29, a tech worker. "The atmosphere feels tense. Many streets are closed, nighttime checkpoints are back, and the city is filled with security personnel and large numbers of people in conservative religious attire. It feels unsettling and I can't bear this."
Hundreds gather at Khamenei funeral venue ahead of opening Saturday, AFP says
Several hundred people were already waiting on Friday evening outside the venue for the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei ahead of its opening to the public the next morning, according to AFP journalists.
Khamenei will lie in state at the Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran until Monday, with doors scheduled to open at 6am local time (0230 GMT). AFP journalists at the scene also saw a significant security presence and roadblocks on surrounding streets.
Netanyahu and Trump held phone call on Friday, Israeli leader's office says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump on Friday and the two leaders agreed to meet soon in the United States, Netanyahu's office said.
The statement did not specify when the meeting would take place.
Two Romanian men jailed for stabbing Iranian journalist in London
Two Romanian men whom British prosecutors said were acting as proxies for the Iranian government were on Friday jailed for stabbing a journalist working for a Persian-language media organisation in London.
Pouria Zaratifoukolaei, known as Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin who works for Iran International, was stabbed three times in the leg near his home in southwest London in March 2024.
Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, both pleaded not guilty to charges of wounding with intent, but were convicted at London's Woolwich Crown Court in June. Badea was sentenced to 8 years in jail and Stana was sentenced to 12 years.
Nandito Badea and George Stana appear at Woolwich Crown Court in London, Britain, May 18, 2026, in a courtroom sketch. © Julia Quenzler, Reuters
Yemen's armed forces threaten Saudi targets over Iran flight to Sanaa
Yemen's armed forces said they confronted Saudi "warplanes" that they said attempted to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport, according to a statement by military spokesperson Yahya Sarea.
The Iran-aligned group warned that they would target "Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea" if the Saudis continue their violations to the Yemeni airspace," he added.
Flights between Sanaa and Tehran will continue despite the any "possible consequences," he added.
Millions expected to attend as Iran begins days-long Khamenei funeral
Israel military says struck Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon
Israel's military has said it struck several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon a day earlier in response to attacks on its troops in the area.
"The IDF struck approximately 10 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and a truck used to transfer weapons in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement.
The sites were in the areas of the south Lebanon towns of Bint Jbeil, Beit Yahoun, Kounine, and Baraachit, and "were used by Hezbollah to advance attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone," the army said.
Israel and Lebanon signed a US-sponsored framework agreement last week to pave the way for peace between the two countries and disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Israeli officials have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, maintaining that any withdrawal would happen only after Hezbollah has been disarmed across Lebanon.
Saudi deputy foreign minister pays respects to Iran's late supreme leader, Iranian media say
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji and his delegation paid their respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian media reported.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 during an Israeli and US war against the Islamic Republic that prompted Iranian attacks on Gulf states hosting US military bases, including Saudi Arabia. The conflict killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
Over 600,000 displaced Lebanese return home amid ceasefire, IOM says
More than 640,000 displaced people in Lebanon have returned home, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have wound down following a deal to end the Middle East war.
In a report on Thursday, the IOM said about 500,000 other people remain displaced, based on data collected in coordination with local authorities since June 22.
Pakistani PM, Afghan FM pay respects to Khamenei, Iran state TV says
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid his respects at the coffin of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Friday, state TV footage showed.
Sharif, whose country has been mediating US-Iran talks to permanently end their conflict, was accompanied by army chief Asim Munir and a delegation as they visited the coffin.
Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also paid his respects, state TV reported.
Iranian president pays tribute to Khamenei at Tehran's Grand Mosalla
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has paid his respects at the remains of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside other officials, including the country's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
State television showed Pezeshkian praying at Khamenei's coffin, where a black turban had been placed, which is worn by clerics to signify descent from the Prophet Mohammed.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani and Head of Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei attend a farewell ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, July 3, 2026. (Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
In photos: Mourners pay respects to slain leader Khamenei at Tehran's Grand Mosalla
Senior Iranian political and military officials, multi-faith religious leaders and mourners paid their respects to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they filed past the caskets of the slain supreme leader and members of his family killed in airstrikes at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex Friday.
Foreign religious leaders and other mourners walk past the coffins of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his slain family members during a viewing ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, July 3, 2026. (Photo: Vahid Salemi, AP)
The casket of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, is displayed alongside the caskets of family members killed in the first Israeli strikes at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. (Photo: Vahid Salemi, AP)
IRGC members pay their respects on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, July 3, 2026. (Photo: Vahid Salemi, AP)
New IRGC chief Gen. Vahidi makes first public appearance since war
Iran's new IRGC chief emerged from hiding to pay his respects to the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Tehran prepares Friday for the days-long funeral ceremonies.
Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket as the country held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.
Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the US, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Febraury 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei.
Vahidi himself hasn’t been seen publicly since February 8, weeks before the Iran war began.
Video published by Iranian state media showed the mourning ceremony for Khamenei near the husseiniyah at his compound in Tehran.
- Supreme leader's body arrives at Tehran religious complex for funeral: state media
- New IRGC chief Gen. Vahidi makes first public appearance since war
- Hundreds gather at Khamenei funeral venue ahead of opening Saturday, AFP says
Supreme leader's body arrives at Tehran religious complex for funeral: state media
The body of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex ahead of his funeral, state media reported Friday.
"The body of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution has arrived at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla," IRNA wrote on Telegram, using the complex's official name.
Preparations for funeral of Iran's supreme leader in full swing, 15-20 million expected
Preparations for the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei were in full swing on Friday, with authorities expecting millions and a coterie of foreign dignitaries to attend the official ceremony. Pakistan, a key mediator in talks between the United States and Iran on ending the Middle East war, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be at the funeral in Tehran on Saturday. China, Afghanistan and Iran's neighbours in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.
Tehran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for a massive turnout at the event as a way to avenge the supreme leader's death in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war. "The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," said Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's parliament speaker.
Khamenei's funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, will take place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict. Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital. He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei. The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.
The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country's history.
Thursday's headline
Hello and welcome to this live blog covering the situation in the Middle East.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Syria has sought to reassure Lebanon it would not intervene in the country , during a visit by Syria's foreign minister to Beirut.
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The New York Times says that US officials believed Israel may have been planning to kill Iranian negotiators while they were engaged in talks with Washington this spring. The US believed that two senior Iranians were particular targets – Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament.
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Israelis called for a state commission of inquiry into Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, as the country marked 1,000 days since the deadliest event in its history with a series of commemorations and protests.
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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended negotiations with Israel, saying they were not a betrayal and he would not surrender "a single inch of Lebanon's territory", according to the presidency.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
