Iran prepares for late supreme leader's funeral
A billboard depicting Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Iran on February 28, in Tehran on June 30, 2026 ahead of his public funeral. Photo by AFP
Giant portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's late supreme leader killed in US-Israeli airstrikes, hung from Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Tuesday as workers raced to prepare for his grand funeral ceremony.
His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, will take place as Iran and the United States uphold a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed aged 86 at his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital on February 28, the first day of the war.
His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings.
'Talking is better than fighting and dialogue is better than confrontation,' Beijing says of tenuous US-Iran ceasefire
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Doha for talks with Qatari mediators
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, landed in Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari mediators about the implementation of an initial deal to end hostilities between the US and Iran after a weekend of crossfire in the Persian Gulf over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The envoys won’t be having direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats while in Qatar’s capital, Doha, said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Instead, mediators are working for the time being as go-betweens for the talks, which won’t include any high-level officials, he added.
Such indirect negotiations have happened in the past between Iran and the US. However, the two previous rounds of talks collapsed as the US and Israel launched deadly bombardments of Iran, first in last year's 12-day war and more recently in February.
Tehran is determined to keep managing the Strait of Hormuz, foreign ministry spokesman says
Iran says will respond to any US violation of memorandum of understanding
Iran will respond to any US violation of the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, its foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"We will not leave any action unanswered. As Iran's powerful armed forces have demonstrated, any act of aggression against the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be met with an immediate and decisive response," Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters at a weekly press conference.
"Such actions would constitute a violation of Article 1 of the memorandum of understanding. Naturally, if such violations are repeated and continue, the continuation of this process will encounter difficulties."
Iran and Qatar to discuss interim US deal and frozen funds
Iran is set to hold talks with mediator Qatar on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the interim deal between Tehran and Washington, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding the release of Iran's frozen assets would be a key topic of discussion.
Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday no meeting was planned with the US side in the coming days and that steps to release its frozen funds were underway.
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that $6 billion of Iran's frozen funds in Qatar had not yet been transferred to Tehran.
Iran to hold talks with Qatar on frozen assets, foreign ministry says
Iran will hold talks with mediator Qatar on Wednesday regarding its frozen assets, the Iranian foreign ministry said, denying that any meeting with the United States was planned in the Gulf state, where delegations from both sides were expected.
"What is expected to take place in Doha, probably tomorrow, will be discussions regarding the implementation of provisions of the memorandum of understanding, including the provision concerning the release of Iran's restricted assets, and these discussions will be held with the Qatari side," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters at a weekly press conference.
Qatar says no direct US-Iran talks to take place in Doha
Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that no high-level meetings or direct talks between the United States and Iran were planned in Doha after Washington said it had sent a top delegation for negotiations.
"To the best of my knowledge, there are no direct meetings scheduled between the two parties in the coming days," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters in Doha, adding that the American team would meet with mediators. "To my knowledge there is no high-level meeting between the two sides."
- US and Iranian delegations in Qatar, no bilateral meeting confirmed
- Tehran is determined to keep managing the Strait of Hormuz, foreign ministry spokesman says
US envoys Witkoff, Kushner meeting mediators in Doha: Qatari spokesman
US envoys were meeting with Qatari mediators on Tuesday, the Gulf state's foreign ministry spokesman said, after Washington said it was sending a negotiating team.
"Mr. Steve Witfoff and Mr. Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with mediators, with Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues ... including, of course, negotiations with Iran, but also including Lebanon," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.
"They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians," he added.
Germany's foreign ministry says US-Iran agreement to cease attacks is an 'important step'
In a post on X, Germany's foreign ministry called the mutual agreement between the US and Iran to halt mutual attacks an "important step", adding that the priority now is that safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Two revolutionary guards killed by unknown gunmen, Iran state media says
Two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed and two others wounded in what the Guards described as a "terrorist" shooting in the western province of Kermanshah on Monday evening, state media reported on Tuesday.
The attackers opened fire outside the Guards members' home and authorities were investigating to identify those responsible, state media reported.
US and Iranian delegations in Qatar, no bilateral meeting confirmed
The US and Iran have a roughly mid-August deadline to reach a permanent peace deal including an agreement on Iran's disputed nuclear program.
What’s ahead are technical talks involving lower-level diplomats before any return to the table by top negotiators. Mediators are eager to get going. Pakistan, a key mediator along with Qatar, has said talks would resume Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, were flying to Qatar to meet with the Iranians and that technical negotiations would occur on the sidelines.
Later, Iranian state media cited Baghaei as saying an expert delegation will travel to Qatar this week but with no planned US meetings.
There’s plenty to discuss, including arrangements around the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions waivers on Iran and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike hit the country's south despite a framework accord signed by the two countries last week aimed at securing a peace deal.
- US President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters in the Oval Office that the US-Iran meeting in Qatar this week will be "perhaps important, perhaps not".
- The removal of mines from the Strait of Hormuz is to be carried out solely by Iran according to the Islamabad MoU between Tehran and Washington, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X on Monday, in response to French President Emmanuel Macron 's comments on the subject.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
