Iran gears up for huge farewell to slain supreme leader

• Qatar talks: Iranian negotiators have left Doha as the Islamic Republic pauses diplomacy ahead of a multi-day funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Qatar said Wednesday that the discussions through mediators between the US and Iran made “positive progress.”

• Funeral preparations: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to attend the supreme leader’s funeral in “large numbers,” while the nation’s army general warned the US and Israel against launching attacks during the procession.

• Straits warning: Iran also issued a fresh warning on Thursday for vessels to follow Tehran-designated routes through the Strait of Hormuz, once again spotlighting the tensions over the crucial waterway.

• Missing crew: Meanwhile, the US Navy is searching for a missing crew member after a helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, underscoring the ongoing risks troops face even as talks halt fighting.

Iran issued a new warning today for vessels to follow Tehran-designated routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN had reported earlier that a growing number of vessels are using a route close to the Omani coast, threatening Tehran’s leverage over the strait. Here are the various routes through the critical waterway:

After two days of diplomatic talks, Iranian officials have left Doha as Tehran prepares for the multi-day funeral of its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Those talks, held indirectly between the US and Iran, made “positive progress” and further discussions will be scheduled “at the earliest possible time” after Khamenei’s funeral, according to Qatar, which has been a key mediator.

Here’s the latest:

• It isn’t exactly clear what was discussed in Doha. Iranian officials said they were discussing unfreezing their assets while Axios reported that US envoys were trying to persuade Iran not to introduce tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Even as the two sides held indirect talks, tensions remain high. Iran issued a fresh warning today for vessels to follow Tehran-designated routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Attention now turns to Khamenei’s funeral. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to turn out in “large numbers” to portray a united front to the world.
• Several foreign dignitaries of varying seniority will attend the funeral. They include Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as representatives from China and India.
• Still, the central question of whether Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader and son of the slain ayatollah, will appear to lead prayers for his father is still unknown.
• Iran has warned the US and Israel against attacks during the funeral.
• Elsewhere, the US Navy is searching for a missing crew member after a helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. And Syria’s foreign minister is visiting Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials on his first official trip to the country since Trump suggested Syrian forces could intervene in the conflict

CNN’s Sarah Tamimi, Haley Britzky, Mostafa Salem, Mustafa Qadri and Aida Karimi contributed reporting.

Officials of varying seniority from China, India and Pakistan are among the foreign dignitaries attending Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral this week.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose country has emerged as a key mediator between the Iran and US, will travel to Iran in the coming days to “offer condolences” over Khamenei’s death, the country’s foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Senior Chinese parliamentary official He Wei – who is the vice chairman of China’s top lawmaking body, the Standing Committee of the National’s People Congress, will represent Beijing at the funeral, China’s foreign ministry said.

Meanwhile, India’s deputy foreign minister Shri Pabitra and the state governor of Bihar, Syed Ata Hasnain, will attend the funeral, according to the Indian foreign ministry.

Khamenei’s long-delayed funeral represents an opportunity for the Iranian regime to emphasize its diplomatic ties with other countries as well as to project a sense of stability and unity within its borders.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Iran expected “guests from around 100 countries, including heads of government, parliamentary speakers, foreign ministers, special government envoys, other political figures and numerous public delegations.”

But aside from Sharif and Georgia’s President Mikheil Kavelashvili, who semi-official news agency Tasnim said is attending, few foreign leaders will make an appearance. Most countries present, like India and China, are sending senior officials instead.

Two senior Taliban officials – Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister and acting foreign minister – will also be in Iran for the funeral.

Iranian authorities are planning funeral ceremonies for slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from Saturday through Thursday in locations across Iran and Iraq, months after his death in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

The multi-day funeral is scheduled to stretch between Tehran, Qom and Mashhad in Iran and Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, turning the procession into a national and regional event long after Khamenei was killed.

Here are some photos from preparations for the ceremonies.

A central question looming over the upcoming funeral is whether Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader and son of the slain Ayatollah, will appear to lead prayers for his father, who died in a US-Israeli strike.

Mojtaba is believed to have been seriously wounded in that attack, which also killed his mother and his wife. He has remained in hiding since the war began in late February, communicating with his supporters only through written statements, never showing his face or using his voice.

Iranian officials have worked to project an image of full recovery, claiming he is even directing Tehran’s negotiations with Washington.

His appearance would be momentous, marking his first public emergence, and helping to establish his legitimacy at home.

But a failure to appear will fuel doubts about his wellbeing, as well as questions over who is running the country. On Wednesday, the leader failed to attend a private ceremony for his late wife.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned on Wednesday that Tehran would deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its leadership after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Khamenei was “marked for death.”

Not appearing at the funeral would likely be spun by the Islamic Republic as a necessary security measure amid the ongoing conflict. Yet it would leave far more questions unanswered and deepen skepticism about his health and readiness to lead.

Questions are already swirling inside Iran. When asked this week about Khamenei’s attendance, the head of the authority organizing the funeral, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, deflected. “This matter is not within our domain and the decision lies entirely with the (supreme) leader’s office,” he said.

A senior Iranian military official has warned the US and Israel of “harsh and regret-inducing responses” if they attack the country during funeral ceremonies for slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to state media.

Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters in Tehran, said Iran’s adversaries should avoid “miscalculation” during the period, which begins on Saturday.

“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran… to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses of the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces to any threat or aggression,” he said in a statement published on the semi-official Tasnim news agency’s Telegram channel.

Iranian authorities are planning funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei from July 4 through July 9 in locations across Iran and Iraq, months after his death in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

The multi-day funeral is scheduled to stretch between Tehran, Qom and Mashhad in Iran and Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, turning the procession into a national and regional event long after Khamenei was killed.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Iranians to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in “large numbers,” and said the former Supreme Leader’s death marked the “beginning of a new chapter” for the country.

His message, posted Thursday on the semi-official Tasnim news agency, comes as Iran prepares for Khamenei’s multi-day long funeral, more than four months after an Israeli strike killed the supreme leader on the first day of the war.

“This martyrdom is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter of national unity, resilience, and progress,” Pezeshkian said, arguing that Khamenei’s death had also demonstrated “this system rests on the firm foundations of faith, ideals, and the will of a great nation.”

He called on all Iranians, “regardless of ethnicity, religion, political views, or background” to attend the planned ceremonies in order to portray a united front to the world.

Syria’s foreign minister is visiting Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials, marking his first official trip since the US president raised the possibility of Syrian intervention in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s president discussed bilateral ties with Syrian official Asaad al-Shibani and said Beirut welcomes coordination with Damascus on border control and weapons smuggling, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

During a meeting with Hezbollah-allied Lebanese official Nabih Berri, Syria’s foreign minister said Damascus is open to meeting the Iranian-backed group if it would be beneficial, NNA reported.

The Syrian visit comes at a sensitive moment for both countries, after Trump suggested Syrian forces could confront Hezbollah. Syria later clarified it would intervene only at the Lebanese government’s request.

Iranian negotiators have left Qatar as the Islamic Republic pauses diplomacy ahead of a multi-day funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed late February in strikes ordered by the United States and Israel.

Iranian media has shifted its coverage almost exclusively to the funeral preparations, the operational changes the country will implement during next week’s processions, and the symbolic meanings behind the grand spectacle.

Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s parliament speaker, called on all Iranians “to come in great numbers” to the leader’s funeral, while the Iranian military warned the US and Israel against “any miscalculation” during the processions.

The mediators – Qatar and Pakistan – issued a statement saying talks between the US and Iran were “positive,” and that negotiations would continue at the “earliest possible time.”

It remains unclear what was discussed in Doha. Iranian officials have said they were there to discuss unfreezing their assets as part of the agreement, while Axios reported that US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were trying to talk Iran out of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

But for now, the Islamic Republic will come to a standstill as it lays Khamenei to rest in a funeral carefully staged to demonstrate the regime’s survival to the very actors responsible for the Supreme Leader’s death.

Iran issued a fresh warning on Thursday for vessels to follow Tehran-designated routes through the Strait of Hormuz, once again spotlighting the tensions over the crucial waterway.

Any failure to heed this warning “will be met with an immediate and firm response from the armed forces, putting the safety of the offending vessels at risk,” Iran’s joint military command cautioned in a statement, according to semi-official Fars News Agency.

Traffic passing through the strait has fragmented into several routes – one hugging the Iranian coastline, a second sticking close to the Omani coastline and a third, which was used before the war, passing through the middle of the strait.

Iran has sought to dissuade vessels from taking these second two routes, which weaken their control over the strait. On Thursday, the country’s Revolutionary Guards warned ships transiting the waterway they would be “responsible for any consequences” if they took other routes.

The status of the waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies flow, has become a key stumbling block in negotiations between the Iran and US.

This latest warning comes a day after US Central Command (CENTCOM) met with 12 Middle Eastern nations in Bahrain. In that meeting, they “discussed the current regional security environment” and “underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz,” a CENTCOM statement said.

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