Iranian state media has announced the schedule for the funeral of Iranâs late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with ceremonies set to take place across several cities in July amid continuing tensions across the Middle East.
According to reports, farewell ceremonies will begin in Tehran on July 4 and 5. A state funeral is scheduled for July 6 in the Iranian capital before further ceremonies are held in the holy city of Qom on July 7.
Khamenei will later be laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad following another funeral ceremony on July 9.
The announcement comes as uncertainty remains over a potential agreement between Iran and the United States. US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran would be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would immediately be âopen to allâ once the agreement takes effect.
However, Iranâs Foreign Ministry spokesman said earlier that any signing was unlikely to occur on Sunday, adding that an agreement could instead be reached in the âcoming days.â
Meanwhile, fighting continues across the region. Israel launched a series of attacks in southern Lebanon, killing at least five people, while issuing fresh displacement orders affecting dozens of communities.
In Gaza, Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling killed two Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis, while others were reported injured in separate incidents in Gaza City.
Hezbollah said it carried out 22 attacks against Israeli forces over the past 24 hours, using drones and rocket barrages against military positions and troop deployments in southern Lebanon. The group also claimed to have intercepted Israeli drones on several occasions using surface-to-air missiles.
Erizia Rubyjeana
