Iranians were preparing on Thursday to bury their slain leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran, as new US strikes threatened to trigger a fresh escalation in the Middle East war. But the ceasefire looked increasingly threatened as US Central Command said it had carried out strikes to degrade the ability of Iranian forces "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz -- a key bone of contention in US-Iran talks.

Iran on Friday laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei over four months after his killing in an airstrike, as two days of US and Iranian attacks raised fears of a…

Iran prepares for Khamenei's burial amid leadership transition. Mojtaba Khamenei seen in public by July 31 at 5.5% YES.

Burial comes amid renewed attacks between Washington and Tehran

The burial took place as both the US and Iran launched fresh attacks, raising fears the conflict could escalate further.