Indirect talks between the United States and Iran are expected to resume after the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader, mediators said on Thursday, as diplomatic efforts continue to inch forward in a bid to end the Middle East conflict.
Following indirect discussions in Doha on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and mediators Qatar and Pakistan signalled that diplomatic channels remain active, despite continued exchanges of fire this week.
Pakistan said that “positive progress” was made after Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha on Wednesday. An interim arrangement was reportedly reached to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and pause hostilities, though key issues remain unresolved, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed aged 86 at his residence in central Tehran on February 28, on the first day of the war. Power was swiftly transferred to his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at a major religious complex in central Tehran that hosts Friday prayers and official ceremonies. He is scheduled to be buried on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
Funeral processions are expected to begin in Tehran on July 4 and continue across several cities, including Qom, before concluding with burial in Mashhad, with additional ceremonies also planned in Iraq.
Meanwhile, an Iranian military commander warned the United States and Israel on Thursday against any escalation during the funeral period, saying Tehran would respond forcefully to any attack.
“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the US and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country,” said Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, in remarks carried by state media.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi issued a similar warning a day earlier, saying Tehran would deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its leadership, following comments by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz suggesting that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “marked for death.”
