Iran has begun several days of public mourning for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes in February. Officials told AFP that the funeral in Tehran could draw as many as 20 million mourners and expect the public turnout to be a “referendum” for the Islamic Republic. The regime’s ruling clerics are preparing days of mass funeral rites for Khamenei. Funeral events will begin over the weekend in Tehran, followed by mass processions next week in Qom and Masshad and ceremonies in Iraq. "The large public turnout ⁠at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic," Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi declared to state media.Iran has warned Donald Trump and Israel not to launch strikes during the state funeral. Ali ‌Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said the “enemies of Iran” should avoid a “miscalculation” or else face harsh retaliation.Iran's new supreme leader avoids father's funeral in fear of assassination by Israel- reportsIranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been spotted at the funeral ceremony for his late father today. It is understood that the new supreme leader’s request to attend the processions was rejected by Iran’s security officials due to fears Israel will kill him or track him down. The New York Times cited two unnamed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members and a person involved with planning the multi-day funeral. The new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (ISNA)Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 15:06Huge crowds mourn Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran’s capitalThousands of people gathered at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran on Saturday, July 4, to pay their respects during a public farewell ceremony for Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israeli airstrikes in February.Mourners wept, beat their chests and waved flags as the flag-draped coffins of Khamenei and members of his family killed in the same attack were placed in state at the mosque.Iran has organised a week of funeral ceremonies and public processions for Khamenei.Public farewell events are scheduled for 4 and 5 July, followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on 6 July.Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 14:38What is going on behind the political scenes of the Ayotallah's funeralThe delayed ceremony for the former supreme leader now serves as a critical test for Iran’s embattled theocracy, testing its capacity to mobilise widespread public support- particularly as the event unfolds six months after security forces brutally suppressed nationwide protests against Ali Khamenei’s rule.A significant turnout, while desired by the regime, also carries the inherent risk of deadly stampedes. Such tragedies have marred previous high-profile funerals, including that of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.An uneasy ceasefire, recently cemented by an interim agreement with the United States, is believed to have provided authorities with the confidence to proceed with the ceremony, which will involve the public appearance of top officials. Throughout the war, Israel targeted and killed senior Iranian leaders, in at least one instance leveraging public appearances to track them.Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 13:48How Trump’s Iran peace process descended into chaos in a weekTwo weeks into the 60-day peace negotiation period between Iran and the United States and - despite President Donald Trump’s claims of success - little progress has been made.Instead, both sides appear to be regressing: hostilities have flared and officials from both sides are no longer directly talking to each other as the clock keeps ticking and key issues, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, remain unresolved.Read more here:Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 13:24Iran war has created growing rift between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince: reportA widening rift has opened up between Saudi Arabia and the United States because of the war in Iran, a report claims.Officials told the Wall Street Journal the partnership between Washington and Riyadh is souring over disputes on how President Donald Trump has handled the war, which began after joint US-Israel strikes on Iran in February.The US is reportedly now considering reducing its military presence in Saudi Arabia and instead putting its forces in countries it feels were more supportive during the war, including Israel and Jordan, according to the WSJ.Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 13:00'Let us wail'After a day of Khamenei lying in state indoors for senior Iranian leaders and foreign officials to visit, his coffin, and those of several family members killed in the same airstrike, were brought to an outdoor stage for the general public to view from a distance, television footage showed. Mourners filed into the vast courtyard of the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, beating their chests, wailing ⁠and waving the banners of the Islamic Republic and historic Shi'ite Muslim martyrs. Women dressed in black chadors ​wore white ⁠visors or held umbrellas to shield from the hot mid-morning sun."Let us wail!" a compere encouraged the crowds through a loudspeaker. "Everybody chant oppressed, everyone say Hussein," he said, invoking Shi'ite traditions of sacrifice, including that of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein. On cue, the crowds wailed and chanted. The Israeli strike that killed Khamenei also killed his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law ⁠and son-in-law, according to Iranian state media.(Getty)Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 12:45Fears grow for British couple after almost two months on hunger strike in Iranian jailFears are growing for a British couple detained in Iran who have not eaten in nearly two months after their contact with family was cut off.Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both 53, have been on hunger strike for 55 and 46 days respectively in protest at their treatment inside Iran’s notorious Evin prison.The couple were arrested on a once-in-a-lifetime world motorbike tour 18 months ago, and were later sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, which they completely deny.UN human rights experts have demanded their urgent release, and warned that their incarceration raises grave concerns about state hostage-taking, adding that their hunger strike has reached the stage of a “medical emergency”.Read the exclusive from crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin here:Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 12:20Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 12:02Powerful general in Iran emerges from hiding as Tehran prepares for Khamenei's dayslong funeralA 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.Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 11:39How Iran will try to use Khamenei’s funeral to hide cracks in regimeIran is keen to present a unified front for the late supreme leader’s funeral, even as analysts warn support for the clerical leadership is waning, writes James C. Reynolds:They hope to mobilise the public to flood the cities, offering transport, food and accommodation to lift the numbers, and are welcoming foreign dignitaries to show Iran still has powerful friends around.Read more here:Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 July 2026 11:20