Iran prepares for mass funeral of slain Supreme Leader amid US security row

The coffin carrying the body of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla ahead of the funeral, state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported on Friday.

Footage shared by Fars shows the flag-draped coffin being carried through a large crowd into the mosque, as mourners gathered for the upcoming ceremonies.

Trump said it is "ridiculous" for the United States to continue its "one sided" relationship to NATO, less than a week before a NATO summit in Ankara.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "They were not there for us!!!" and Washington's relationship with NATO "is not reciprocal."

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at European allies over their response to the war in Iran.

A powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy 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 United States, 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 Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei.

Vahidi himself hasn't been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began.

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.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that ships carrying a second Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), typically comprising more than 2,000 Marines, are currently operating in the Middle East.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the embarked 11th MEU are deployed in the region as part of a scheduled mission.

The ARG includes the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the amphibious transport dock USS Portland—which has recently arrived in the region—and the dock landing ship USS Comstock, which has been operating in the area since May.

The deployment joins the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, along with its escorts and embarked Marines, which have been stationed in the Middle East since late March, further strengthening US naval posture in the region.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Seyyed Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Iran ahead of the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling the country Pakistan’s “second home”.

Iran says representatives from over 100 countries will attend the ceremony, which begins on Saturday.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to attend the proceedings.

The first images have emerged of the casket carrying the body of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Posted on his official X account, the image shows the coffin placed in a small room decorated with Iranian flags.

A red flag with white script — described as the sacred banner of the shrine of Imam Hussein — is draped over the casket, according to the post.

Bahraini officials told the UN Security Council on Thursday that Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states are deliberate and part of a systematic pattern of aggression, not random or isolated incidents.

Bahrain's representative made the remarks during an emergency Security Council session convened at its request to address recent Iranian attacks on Bahrain and other countries in the region amid escalating tensions involving Iran, the United States and broader Middle East conflicts.

"Iranian attacks [are] never random nor incidental," the Bahraini delegation stated, according to reports from the meeting.

Officials described the strikes as "meticulously pre-planned" and evidence of Tehran's "aggressive intentions" toward its neighbours.

Oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has climbed above 10 million barrels per day, as Bloomberg reported.

According to TankerTrackers, Iran has exported around 50 million barrels of crude oil since the US-imposed blockade was lifted two weeks ago, averaging 1.66 million barrels per day in June 2026. However, most regional producers still remain well below their pre-war export levels.

Crude oil prices went down in early morning trade on Friday, with WTI easing further to $68.41, down $0.28 or 0.41%; Brent slid to $71.54 or $0.26 (0.36%) lower, while Murban Crude lost $0.42 to $65.22.

The US Central Command (CentCom) has convened a landmark regional security conference in Bahrain, bringing together military leaders from 12 nations, including unprecedented participation from Syria and Lebanon.

The high-level summit, hosted by the Bahrain Defence Force, aimed to fortify the Middle East's unified air defence umbrella and secure vital maritime shipping lanes.

However, the American-led initiative immediately drew fierce condemnation from Tehran, exposing deep geopolitical fault lines over who should police the volatile region.

Responding sharply to the military gathering in Manama, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi firmly rejected the notion that Western intervention brings stability to the Middle East.

India, Japan and China have renewed calls to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring growing international concern over the security of one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

Officials from the three trading heavyweights, speaking separately, stressed that safe and uninterrupted passage through the strategic waterway is essential to global trade, energy security and the stability of international supply chains.

In a joint statement released on Thursday following the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi highlighted the strategic necessity of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to guarantee uninterrupted global commerce and resilient energy corridors.

As two of the world's premier energy-consuming economies, India and Japan are acutely vulnerable to supply disruptions in the Middle East.

The prime ministers explicitly warned against any geopolitical manoeuvres that could restrict maritime trade.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed that message during talks with Pakistan's foreign minister, saying normal shipping through the strait should resume quickly to protect global industrial and supply chains following months of conflict in the Gulf.

Japan has reiterated that freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law.

In statements issued through its Foreign Ministry and at the United Nations, Tokyo said commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz must remain safe and open in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Japanese officials also welcomed international efforts to establish protected maritime corridors and urged all parties to respect international law.

Iranian authorities have announced an extensive series of funeral ceremonies to honour Khamenei, with commemorations scheduled from July 4 through July 9 across both Iran and Iraq.

The multi-day procession is expected to pass through Tehran, Qom and Mashhad in Iran before continuing to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in neighboring Iraq, underscoring Khamenei's religious and political influence across the Shiite Muslim world.

The ceremonies are expected to draw senior Iranian officials, religious leaders and supporters from across the region, with heightened security anticipated throughout the events.

Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, shaped the country's domestic politics, nuclear policy and regional alliances, including its backing of armed groups across the Middle East. His death has added uncertainty to an already volatile region following months of conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to attend the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene’s funeral in “large numbers.”

Iranian army general then warned the US and Israel against launching attacks during the procession.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paid tribute to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing his death as a "martyrdom" that has plunged the nation into grief while vowing that the Islamic Republic would remain steadfast in the face of adversity.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said Khamenei's killing had deeply saddened the Iranian people but insisted it would strengthen national unity rather than weaken the country.

"His martyrdom is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new chapter of unity, resilience," Pezeshkian wrote.

Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on February 28, the opening day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, dealing the Islamic Republic its most significant leadership loss since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Day 125: Iran denounces US-led security summit of 12 nations

Day 124: Iran says Qatar talks with US on war MoU concluded

Day 123: Iran says US blockade stopped oil exports completely

Day 122: IRGC Navy spokesperson Akbarzadeh dies in car 'mishap'

Day 121: Iran warns against attacks from regional territory

Day 120: US–Iran ceasefire under strain as drones target Bahrain

Day 119: Lebanon, Israel, US sign trilateral deal in Washington

Day 118: Oil price spikes after IRGC strike on ship in Hormuz

Day 117: Iran-Gulf reconciliation talks expected in Saudi Arabia