Hundreds of thousands of mourners began a procession this morning through the Iranian capital of Tehran for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
His flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed on 28 February in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the US, will be carried on board a truck.
Iranian authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday after the slain leader is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
The new supreme leader of Iran did not attend the funeral of his father, although three of his other sons prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday.
There have been threats from mourners to avenge Khamenei's death. Iranian mourners were seen carrying signs calling for the killing of both US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US federal agencies have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years, stemming from Trump's ordering the 2020 killing of Gen Qassem Soleimani, who had led the elite Quds Force.
Key Points
- Funeral procession for Ali Khamenei begins in Tehran
- Iranian hardline newspaper calls for avenging Ali Khamenei's killing
- Iran shuts Tehran's airspace for Khamenei's funeral procession
- Oil slips to $71 a barrel after OPEC+ agrees to raise output targets
Iranian hardline newspaper calls for avenging Ali Khamenei's killing
09:29 , Alex Croft
Hardline Iranian newspapers have called for avenging Ali Khamenei’s killing in their editions published this morning.
The Asr-e Iranian newspaper devoted its front page to the demand, using the headline: “Blood for blood", according to Iran International.
It said that the revenge was “the right of the people and the duty of officials.”
Nobonyad newspaper asked: “Why shouldn’t we kill the one who killed our leader?”
Body of late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei arrives in Tehran as thousands gather to pay tribute - ICYMI
09:22 , Alex Croft
Fleet of Japan related ships exit Strait of Hormuz
08:28 , Alex Croft
A fleet of 10 Japan-related vessels are exiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, shipping data on LSEG showed.
These included six very large crude carriers loaded with 12 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude, two chemical tankers, a vehicle carrier and a container ship, the data showed.
Explosion heard in southern Lebanon
08:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli forces “triggered an explosion” overnight in the town of Hula in Lebanon's Marjayoun district, according to Lebanon’s national news agency.
On Sunday, Israel's military chief visited forces deployed around Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon and vowed to push ahead with the campaign against Hezbollah.
"The IDF will continue to operate decisively to remove threats from Lebanese territory and is prepared to transition rapidly to offensive operations should the ceasefire be violated," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told soldiers during the visit.
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
07:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei attended his funeral on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance.
State television showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying beside his coffin and those of four other family members at Tehran's vast Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.
Ayatollah Khamenei, along with several other family members, was killed in an airstrike when the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran on 28 February.
More here.
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
Khamenei's funeral procession in Tehran will last up to 12 hours
07:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Thousands of mourners poured on to the streets of Tehran as the funeral procession for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei began this morning.
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the US, sat on board a truck.
The truck crept through crowds of black-clad mourners, who reached out to touch the grating. Some threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran seen as a blessing.
Attendants sprayed misted water across the crowds to cool them in the summertime temperatures. The official in charge of the ceremony said the procession will last 10 to 12 hours.
7 OPEC+ countries agree to expand monthly oil production modestly
07:09 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
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.
More here.
7 OPEC+ countries agree to expand monthly oil production modestly as prices slide
Yemen condemns Iran for bringing Houtis to Khamenei's funeral
06:49 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Yemeni government has issued a statement condemning Iran for chartering a flight to bring a Houthi delegation to Tehran for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei's funeral.
Yemeni president Rashad al-Alimi called the flight "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen and a blatant challenge to international law," in the statement on his official website.
He said allowing international flights without the government's approval set a dangerous precedent which exacerbated Yemen's political division.
Millions of mourners gather as Khamenei’s funeral procession begins in Tehran
06:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Mourners at Khamenei's funeral call for revenge
06:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Netanyahu claims Christians in Lebanon sought Israeli annexation
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had asked to be annexed by Israel to protect themselves from Hezbollah.
“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu told Fox News, without naming which villages had sought annexation.
Earlier on Friday, residents of Christian villages in the Marjeyoun district rejected reports claiming they had sought annexation, saying in a statement that they had “no power nor the legal right” to make decisions of such magnitude.
The villages reaffirmed their “loyalty to their national identity” and their “attachment to their Lebanese flag”.
UN’s blue helmets to leave behind a Lebanon in a tailspin into death and destruction
05:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Under terms agreed by the UN Security Council, the ‘blue helmets’ will begin to withdraw from the war-torn region at the end of this year. Experts tell Oisin Mcilroy that a lack of oversight will see the area plunge further into a cycle of bloodshed
More here.
UN’s blue helmets leave behind a Lebanon in a tailspin into death and destruction
Iranian hardline newspaper calls for avenging Ali Khamenei's killing
05:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hardline Iranian newspapers have called for avenging Ali Khamenei’s killing in their editions published this morning.
The Asr-e Iranian newspaper devoted its front page to the demand, using the headline: “Blood for blood", according to Iran International.
It said that the revenge was “the right of the people and the duty of officials.”
Nobonyad newspaper asked: “Why shouldn’t we kill the one who killed our leader?”
Iran shuts Tehran's airspace for Khamenei's funeral procession
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran has completely shut the airspace above Tehran today for the funeral procession of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Regular flights at Mehrabad airport and Imam Khomeini airport will be suspended during public ceremonies in the capital, according to Iran's civil aviation organisation.
Mehrabad airport is expected to resume normal operations tomorrow, while Imam Khomeini airport will remain closed.
Oil slips to $71 a barrel after OPEC+ agrees to raise output targets
04:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Oil prices inched lower this morning after OPEC+ agreed to further increase its output targets from August, while exports from key producers via the Strait of Hormuz are recovering, potentially adding to global supplies.
Brent crude futures slid 24 cents, or 0.33 per cent, to $71.88 a barrel after settling 0.45 per cent higher on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $68.58 a barrel, down 11 cents, or 0.16 per cent.
Funeral procession for Ali Khamenei begins in Tehran
04:23 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran begins procession through Tehran for Khamenei's funeral
04:16 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran began a procession this morning through its capital, Tehran, for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed on 28 February in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the US, will be carried on board a truck.
They will be taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport.
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.
Recap: Funeral postpones talks with US
04:00 , Bryony Gooch
As Ali Khamenei’s body is transported to cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq, talks over reaching a permanent end to the US conflict appear to be on hold until the end of the funeral.
The funeral was in part a show of unity and defiance as Iran demands a measure of control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy that it shut down during the war.
The US has rejected those demands, and the sides are divided on other key issues, including the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear program.
The US assisted 70 transits of the Strait of Hormuz over the past 72 hours, including 18 on Saturday, a multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Sunday.
It called traffic steady along routes near Oman and Iran but still below prewar levels. The threat level remained "substantial" and mine clearance and surveying work continued.
Watch: Eulogist at Khamenei funeral in Iran calls for death of Donald Trump
03:00 , Bryony Gooch
In pictures: Grand Mosalla from above as mourners reflect on Khamenei
02:00 , Bryony Gooch
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral – but not his successor
01:00 , Bryony Gooch
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
In pictures: Khamenei's coffin is passed through the crowd
Monday 6 July 2026 00:00 , Bryony Gooch
Watch: Iran begins public mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei with funeral to draw 20 million
Sunday 5 July 2026 23:00 , Bryony Gooch
In pictures: The second day of mourning at the Grand Mosalla
Sunday 5 July 2026 22:00 , Bryony Gooch
As Hormuz exports start to recover, OPEC+ approves further oil output increase
Sunday 5 July 2026 21:00 , Bryony Gooch
OPEC+ has agreed a further increase in output targets from August, the group said in a statement on Sunday, adding to global supply at a time when oil prices are falling due to the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports.
The oil-producing group agreed during an online meeting to increase quotas by 188,000 barrels per day from August, on top of similar increases for June and July.
The seven core members of OPEC+, which groups OPEC and allied producers including Russia, have hiked their output quotas from April through July by almost 800,000 bpd.
Yet the increase has remained largely on paper because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which closed the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic for some of the most important OPEC+ members, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.
In pictures: Sons of Khamenei and fellow mourners attend public farewell
Sunday 5 July 2026 20:00 , Bryony Gooch
British military says cargo ship reports attack in the Red Sea off Yemen
Sunday 5 July 2026 19:00 , Bryony Gooch
A cargo ship came under attack Sunday off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, the British military said, the latest maritime attack off the conflict-torn Arab country.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack off Hodeida city, which is under control of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The UKMTO said the ship reported being "under attack by unknown armed assailants" 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Hodeida.
A skiff approached the bulk carrier and opened fire, forcing security guards to return fire, before sailing back to a larger ship about 2 nautical miles (3.7 kilometers) away with its automatic identification system switched off, the UKMTO said.
The cargo ship and crew were reported safe, the British military said, adding that authorities were investigating.
No group immediately claimed the attack.
In pictures: Women mourn Iran's slain supreme leader
Sunday 5 July 2026 18:00 , Bryony Gooch
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
Sunday 5 July 2026 17:00 , Bryony Gooch
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
Recap: Iranian flock to the centre of Iran
Sunday 5 July 2026 16:00 , Bryony Gooch
Crowds of Iranians, many weeping and some beating their chests, have thronged the Mosalla, including overnight. The Iranian metro railway network said it had clocked 7 million trips from late on Saturday to Sunday morning as people flocked to the centre.
After what authorities are billing as a massive procession in central Tehran on Monday, the remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom, the centre of Iran's Shi'ite hierarchy, for ceremonies on Tuesday.
From there the body will be flown to Iraq for ceremonies in the Shi'ite holy shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday. It will return to Iran on Thursday for another procession in Mashhad, to be buried near the tomb of another of the medieval Shi'ite imams.
Authorities plan to mobilise millions of people for big processions over the coming days, offering transport, food and lodging.
Recap watch: Iran begins public mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei with funeral to draw 20 million
Sunday 5 July 2026 15:28 , Bryony Gooch
In pictures: People are sprayed with water to cool off during the heat while on their way to the Grand Mosalla in Tehran
Sunday 5 July 2026 15:00 , Bryony Gooch
UN’s blue helmets to leave Lebanon in a tailspin into destruction
Sunday 5 July 2026 14:30 , Bryony Gooch
Under terms agreed by the UN Security Council, the ‘blue helmets’ will begin to withdraw from the war-torn region at the end of this year.
Experts tell Oisin Mcilroy that a lack of oversight will see the area plunge further into a cycle of bloodshed.
Read more here:
UN’s blue helmets leave behind a Lebanon in a tailspin into death and destruction
Recap watch: Body of late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei arrives in Tehran as thousands gather to pay tribute
Sunday 5 July 2026 14:00 , Bryony Gooch
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
Sunday 5 July 2026 13:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended his funeral on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance.
State television showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying beside his coffin and those of four other family members at Tehran's vast Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.
Ayatollah Khamenei, along with several other family members, was killed in an airstrike when the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28.
Read more here:
Khamenei’s three sons attend his funeral in Tehran – but not his successor
Three sons of Ali Khamenei appear at his funeral as supreme leader makes no appearance
Sunday 5 July 2026 13:30 , Bryony Gooch
Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance.
State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex.
Their father, alongside several other members of the family, was killed in an airstrike when the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran on 28 February.
After a day lying in state indoors for senior Iranian leaders and foreign officials to visit, Khamenei's coffin was displayed outdoors on Saturday under glass, along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
In pictures: Thousands gather in Tehran to mourn Khamenei
Sunday 5 July 2026 13:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
Iran and Qatar resume maritime trade, Iranian state media reports
Sunday 5 July 2026 12:30 , Bryony Gooch
Maritime trade between Iran and Qatar has resumed after a roughly five-month suspension, Iran’s commercial attaché in Doha told state media on Sunday.
Abbas Abdolkhani said shipping between Iran’s Dayyer port and Qatar’s Al Ruwais port had resumed following coordination between the Iranian embassy in Doha and Qatari authorities.
Performer calls for Trump's death at Khamenei funeral
Sunday 5 July 2026 12:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
A performer at the funeral of former supreme Iranian leader Ali Khamenei called for the death of US president Donald Trump before a crowd of thousands of people in Tehran today.
The performer, poet Mohammad Rasouli, shouted calls of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” as he spoke to the crowd over loudspeakers at the funeral.
Rasouli said that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump.
Khamenei to be buried on Thursday
Sunday 5 July 2026 11:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ayatollah Khamenei’s body is expected to be transported to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq.
On Thursday, he will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei's place of birth, state media said.
A prayer for the dead is planned at the Grand Mosalla today.
Then, on Monday, his body and those of his family will be taken through the streets of Tehran, which is also expected to draw large crowds.
In Video: Thousands mourn slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei
Sunday 5 July 2026 10:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Trump hints Netanyahu could visit US this week
Sunday 5 July 2026 10:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
US president Donald Trump told Axios yesterday that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting with Washington.
Trump hinted that this meeting could take place in the US as early as next week.
Khamenei's three sons attend funeral, not his successor
Sunday 5 July 2026 09:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Three of Ali Khamenei's sons attended the slain supreme leader's funeral and prayed beside his coffin today, but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son who has succeeded him, did not make an appearance.
He is reportedly wounded in the airstrike that killed his father on 28 February, when Israel and the US bombed Iranian targets.
Mojtaba is believed to be in hiding, suffering significant injury to his face and one or both legs, according to Reuters.
Ali Khamenei's coffin was displayed outdoors under glass, along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
Iran confirms new fees for ships through Hormuz with special treatment for allies
Sunday 5 July 2026 08:42 , Vishwam Sankaran
Iran has confirmed it is planning to levy new service fees for ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, and has promised special treatment for its allies who assisted the regime during the war with the US and Israel.
Iran’s Ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, made the announcement yesterday during the World Peace Forum in Beijing.
Tehran is working with Oman on a new framework to manage traffic through the Strait, he said.
It remains unclear when the new system would take effect.
'One shot' can take out all Iranian leaders, Trump says
Sunday 5 July 2026 08:05 , Vishwam Sankaran
US president Donald Trump said all of Iran's top leaders gathered to mourn slain leader Ali Khamenei were within reach.
“They are all there. One shot and we can take them all out, but we are not going to do that," Trump told Axios yesterday.
“We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran; they’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave him a week off for a funeral because we’re nice,” the US president said.
Iran responded, defending Khamenei's legacy, comparing him to a "perfume bottle whose scent spread everyplace".
“People can be killed, but ideals cannot. You killed Ayatollah Khamenei, but in reality, you broke a perfume bottle whose scent spread everyplace," said Iran’s embassy in Yerevan.
Iran-US War
Sunday 5 July 2026 08:04 , Vishwam Sankaran
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the US-Israel war against Iran.
A six-day funeral for slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is underway in Tehran.
You can follow the latest updates here
