US–Iran conflicts: Tehran prepares for Khamenei’s funeral procession; OPEC+ extends production increase

Iran began a procession Monday through its capital, Tehran, for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, will be carried on board a truck.

They will be taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport.

Iran's theocracy plans to see large crowds attend the ceremony across the city to show popular support for the government.

Iranian state television reported the procession had started.

Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as the 86-year-old Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

The US is meanwhile pressing ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back its disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial.

The US Navy has suspended its active search for a missing sailor after more than four days of extensive search-and-rescue operations. The sailor was aboard the MH-60S helicopter that went down in the Arabian Sea last week, the Navy said in an official statement.

The sailor, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), was reported missing on July 1 after the helicopter went down. The search was officially suspended at 3:00pm Arabian Standard Time on July 5.

"The US Navy suspended the active search for a Sailor assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 embarked aboard aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)," the statement said. The Navy added that the sailor's identity is being withheld "until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete in accordance with Navy policy."

According to the Navy, the search lasted more than 102 hours and covered over 14,000 square miles in the US Central Command area of responsibility.

The operation involved a broad range of US naval and air assets, including the aircraft carriers USS George H.W. Bush and USS Abraham Lincoln, multiple helicopter squadrons, Carrier Air Wings 7 and 9, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Ross, USS Donald Cook, USS Higgins, USS Mason and USS John Finn, two P-8 Poseidon squadrons, and multiple US Air Force aircraft.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has met Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of Yemen’s Houthi Supreme Political Council, describing a recent memorandum of understanding with the United States as a political win for Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance”.

According to Iranian media, Ghalibaf claimed the US and Israel were compelled to effectively recognise Iran’s regional allies, calling it a key outcome of the agreement.

“The United States and Israel were forced to practically recognise Iran’s allies in the Axis of Resistance, and this is one of the achievements of this memorandum,” he said.

He further described the MoU as a “defeat for the United States and an achievement for the Axis of Resistance, both militarily and politically,” warning that Washington and Tel Aviv could “resort to war” if they detect any perceived Iranian weakness.

The “Axis of Resistance” is a term used for Iran-aligned regional groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen’s Houthi movement, Hamas in Gaza, and allied armed factions in Iraq.

Massive crowds are expected today for the funeral procession of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, with authorities hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that accompanied his predecessor's funeral.

After lying in state in Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex for two days, Khamenei will be processed through the city for 10 to 12 hours starting at 6:00 am (0230 GMT), organisers said.

The 1989 funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, drew some 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA, and crowd surges killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.

Thousands had filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday, where they paid their respects to Khamenei and four family members, all killed on February 28 in Israeli airstrikes based on US intelligence.

Massive concrete walls separated the public from the coffin to prevent stampedes.

It is unclear what level of access and proximity the public will have during the procession, but authorities are mindful that in 1989 they were forced to use a helicopter to transport Khomeini for burial after mourners stormed his vehicle, causing his burial shroud to tear and his body to fall to the ground.

A handful of countries in the OPEC+ oil-producing alliance plan to increase their outputs modestly next month, which would bring more oil online after fuel prices have fallen to levels not seen since before the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies - collectively known as OPEC+ - announced on Sunday that seven countries would expand oil production by a combined total of 188,000 barrels per day in August. It was the fifth consecutive month OPEC+ agreed to raise oil outputs.

The participating countries in Sunday's decision are Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.

"The countries will continue to monitor and assess market conditions, and in their continuous efforts to support market stability, they reaffirmed the importance of adopting a cautious approach," the group of oil producers said in a statement.

In a notable development, while millions flooded Tehran's the sprawling Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla prayer complex, three of Khamenei's sons — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — made a rare public appearance during funeral prayers.

However, there was no sign of his designated successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, fueling continued speculation over his health after reports that he was seriously wounded in the same strike that killed his father.

Reuters reported Mojtaba remains out of public view, while Iranian authorities have not publicly explained his absence.

Senior Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, joined military commanders and clerics in leading the ceremonies, underscoring the government's efforts to project stability despite months of war and political uncertainty.

The funeral comes more than four months after Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades, was killed alongside several members of his family in a U.S.-Israeli strike at the outset of the war that erupted on Feb. 28. His death marked the most significant leadership change in Iran since he succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

The ceremonies also took on a strongly political tone. Many mourners waved Iranian flags and banners while chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, with some calling for retaliation over Khamenei's assassination.

The funeral has become both a religious observance and a national demonstration of resistance following the conflict that devastated parts of Iran before ending in a fragile ceasefire.

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