live Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Spotted At Khamenei Funeral Procession

Iranian state media have published a photograph showing former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad attending the funeral procession for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

The photograph published on July 6 shows Ahmadinejad walking down a street among other mourners surrounded by members of his security detail.

During the first wave of Israeli and US strikes on Tehran at the start of the conflict in February, which killed Khamenei and reduced his official compound to rubble. Ahmadinejad's residence, or an area surrounding it, in eastern Tehran was also reported to have been targeted.

The attack on Ahmadinejad's residence, followed by the lack of any public information about him during the 40-day war, fueled widespread speculation about his whereabouts.

Less than two months ago, following the cease-fire and citing US officials, The New York Times reported that Ahmadinejad had been considered as a potential figure to lead Iran if the government collapsed.

The New York Times report published on May 19 said that the US-Israeli air strike on Ahmadinejad's residence early in the war "had been designed to free him from house arrest" and was part of a broader regime change plan.

Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, was once known as a hard-line loyalist and fierce critic of the United States and Israel. But he later fell out with Iran’s ruling establishment, repeatedly clashed with Khamenei’s circle, and was barred from running in several elections.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Ten Japan-linked vessels have been transiting the Strait of Hormuz on July 6 as they leave the Persian Gulf, according to shipping and vessel-tracking data from the London Stock Exchange Group.

The same data shows that a supertanker carrying Saudi crude oil for South Korea also exited the strait on July 5. The crucial waterway usually accounts for around one-fifth of global oil and gas trade.

These are among the ships that had been stranded in the Persian Gulf for months because of the war in Iran, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps effectively preventing them from leaving.

Last month, Iran and the United States signed a framework cease-fire agreement under which Washington committed to lifting its naval blockade of Iran, while Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic.

According to Reuters, the Japan-linked vessels include six very large crude carriers, two chemical tankers and one container ship.

The tankers are carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, loaded in late February and early March, during the opening weeks of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

When the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding was signed in June, it was reported that more than 1,500 ships had been stranded in the Gulf during the war.

Before the conflict, more than 130 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz each day.

With reporting by Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Christian villages in southern Lebanon had sought Israeli protection from Hezbollah, saying that "some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel" because Israel protects them from Hezbollah militants.

Netanyahu made the remarks in an interview with Fox News on July 6, as Israeli forces continued operations in southern Lebanon months after the conflict expanded when Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rocket attacks following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayotollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Israel responded with a large-scale air campaign and ground offensive, and its troops continue to hold territory near the border.

Hezbollah is both a militant group and a political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.

In a separate speech at a state ceremony on July 5 Netanyahu reiterated that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon "as long as necessary" to protect northern Israel.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, visiting troops deployed near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, said the army would continue operations to remove threats from Lebanese territory.

In his Fox News interview, Netanyahu also downplayed reports of tensions with US President Donald Trump over the Iran cease-fire, saying the allies see "eye-to-eye" most of the time despite occasional disagreements.

His comments followed Trump's recent public criticism of Netanyahu and remarks that the Israeli leader "knows who the boss is."

With reporting by AFP

Iranian authorities imposed extensive security measures across Tehran on July 6, including the closure of the capital's airspace, as public funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei got underway.

A procession across Tehran was expected to last up to 12 hours before further ceremonies in Qom and Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities, culminating in Khamenei's burial in Mashhad on July 9. Temporary, localized flight restrictions will also be in place from July 7 until the burial two days later.

With officials preparing for a turnout reminiscent of the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, state media showed large crowds accompanying Khamenei's coffin through the capital after two days of lying in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla prayer complex.

Organizers also appeared intent on avoiding a repeat of a deadly crush that marred Khomeini's funeral, where crowd surges killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.

Massive concrete barriers were erected around Khamenei's coffin during the initial ceremonies, reflecting heightened concern over crowd control.

The ceremonies are being presented by Iran's leadership as a display of continuity and resilience following the five-week conflict with Israel and the United States that began with Khamenei's killing during US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.

Officials have repeatedly portrayed the turnout as evidence of national unity despite the war, while the event also comes after massive anti-government protests earlier this year that ended in a brutal clampdown.

Attention has remained focused on Khamenei's successor, his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has still not appeared in public since being appointed supreme leader and is reported to have been wounded in the same strikes that killed his father.

No known audio or video recordings of him have been released in the intervening months, raising questions about his health and his ability to carry out his duties as supreme leader. Ali Khamenei's three other sons, who had all remained out of public view since the outbreak of the war, have been attending funeral proceedings.

Also notable was the attendance of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander in chief Ahmad Vahidi, who only reemerged publicly for the first time in months when paying his respects at Khamenei's coffin on July 3.

He had kept a low profile since the conflict began amid concerns that senior Iranian commanders could be targeted for assassination. Esmail Qaani, the rarely seen head of the IRGC's Quds Force, which oversees Iran's foreign military and covert operations, also made an appearance on July 6.

However, most of Iran's surviving former presidents, several of whom had strained relations with Ali Khamenei, have not been seen at the ceremonies, although ex-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was spotted attending the funeral procession with other mourners on July 6.

Delegations from Hamas and Hezbollah also attended, underlining Tehran's longstanding ties with armed groups in the Middle East.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Hezbollah is also designated as a terrorist organization by Washington, while its military wing is listed by the European Union.

With reporting by AFP and dpa

The OPEC+ grouping has agreed to further increase output targets beginning in August in an effort to add to world supplies at a ⁠time when oil prices are declining due to the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The informal oil-producing group agreed during an online meeting on July 5 to increase quotas by 188,000 barrels a day on top of similar increases already set for June and July.

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman held virtual talks and "decided to implement a production adjustment" starting in August, an OPEC statement said.

The seven core members of OPEC+ have hiked their output quotas from April through July by almost 800,000 barrels a day.

However, the increase has largely been symbolic until now because of the US-Israeli war with Iran, ‌which closed the strait to tanker traffic for some key OPEC+ members, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

Daily global oil demand is around 100 million barrels.

The group, did not comment on current geopolitical developments, is to meet again on August 2.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump will use this week's NATO summit in Turkey to discuss security challenges in the Middle East, including the protection of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and engagement with Syria's new leadership, while pressing allies to expand their military capabilities, senior US officials said on July 5.

The officials said Trump would hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara, underscoring Washington's growing diplomatic engagement with Damascus following political changes in Syria.

Speaking during a White House preview call ahead of the summit, officials said the security of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil export passes, was expected to be a key topic during the summit given tensions involving Iran and the region's strategic importance.

A senior official said several NATO allies had already indicated their willingness to contribute capabilities to maritime security efforts but argued many still lacked sufficient naval assets for a meaningful operation.

"We've had a lot of allies raise their hand and offer to participate with their capabilities, but... many of them don't have the necessary ships or assets to contribute to a meaningful maritime effort," the official said.

The comments suggest the US administration wants European allies to assume a greater role in safeguarding critical sea lanes in the Gulf while the US focuses resources on broader global security priorities.

The White House said Trump would continue urging NATO members to increase defense spending and strengthen military capabilities, arguing that more capable allies would be better positioned to contribute to operations ranging from European security to maritime missions in strategically important regions such as the Gulf.

Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on on July 5 that Iran and Qatar have resumed maritime trade after a five-month suspension.

Citing Iran's commercial attache in Doha, IRNA said Qatar's Al Ruwais Port has reopened to Iranian goods.

Citing Iran's commercial attache in Doha, IRNA said Qatar's Al Ruwais Port had reopened to Iranian cargo.

IRNA said the port resumed accepting Iranian cargo "after nearly five months," following what it described as "sustained efforts by the Iranian Embassy in Doha and coordination with the relevant Qatari authorities."

The news agency did not provide figures on the volume of trade or cargo moving along the route.

Qatar was targeted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps during both the 12-day Iran-Israel war in 2025 and the more recent joint US-Israeli war against Iran, which began in February.

Despite this, Doha later joined Pakistan in facilitating the signing of a framework cease-fire agreement between Iran and the United States.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, still widely regarded as the country's de facto leader, were among the foreign dignitaries attending funeral events for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

But while Iranian state media portrayed the international turnout as evidence of Khamenei's stature abroad, the varying levels of representation from Central Asia told a more nuanced story.

Tajikistan and Turkmenistan sent their most senior leaders, while Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan were represented by parliamentary speakers.

“I think that the difference in the hierarchy of Central Asian states represented at the funeral can be explained by the differences in the relationships that those Central Asian countries have with Iran,” said Temur Umarov, a fellow with the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center who is an expert on China and Central Asia.

Umarov said Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are closer to Iran “not only geographically, but also economically.”

Turkmenistan depends on Iran for connectivity, trade, imports, and access to wider markets, while Tajikistan has closer security ties with Tehran, including cooperation through an intergovernmental military-security committee and a reported Iranian drone production facility in Tajikistan.

For Turkmenistan, that dependence was exposed during the US-Iran war, when disrupted trade and suspended gas-swap arrangements contributed to shortages, rising prices, and inflation.

For Tajikistan, ties with Iran combine a shared Persian linguistic and cultural heritage, economic links, and security cooperation. Tajik is a variety of Persian, and the two countries have long promoted cultural and educational exchanges alongside expanding trade and defense ties.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan appeared to take a more cautious approach.

All three see Iran as a useful gateway to the Persian Gulf and global markets, but none relies on Tehran to the same extent for trade, connectivity, or security.

By sending parliamentary speakers, analysts say this allowed the three countries to acknowledge Iran’s importance without the symbolism of a presidential visit, especially as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been courting US investment and closer ties with the Trump administration.

The differing levels of representation illustrated a broader regional strategy: maintaining pragmatic relations with Iran while avoiding the appearance of aligning too closely with Tehran in its confrontation with Washington.

Tajik journalist Khursand Khurramov said Rahmon’s attendance showed Dushanbe’s desire to preserve Iran as “an important regional partner,” but not necessarily to embrace Tehran’s foreign policy.

“Rahmon’s participation in the mourning ceremony is a diplomatic gesture and an element of interstate protocol,” he said, “rather than political support for Tehran’s foreign policy course.”

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a shipping security monitor, said on July 5 that it had received a report that a cargo vessel was under attack by unknown armed assailants about 30 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah.

The vessel triggered a distress alert, and authorities are investigating. UKMTO advised ships transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

The incident comes as tensions remain elevated across the region following the US-Israeli war against Iran.

While commercial shipping has resumed through the Strait of Hormuz under a fragile cease-fire, security risks remain high both there and in waters off Yemen, where merchant vessels have faced repeated attacks and attempted boardings in recent days.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was absent as funeral prayers for his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were held early on July 5, more than four months after he was killed during US-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in the Middle East.

The prayers were led by Grand Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani, one of Iran's most senior Shi'ite clerics.

Mojtaba, who has been widely described by Iranian media as an ayatollah and was named supreme leader shortly after his father's death, was absent from the ceremony despite the tradition that each successor leads the funeral prayers for his predecessor -- a role analysts see as reinforcing the legitimacy of the succession.

He has not been seen in public since he was reportedly injured in the same attack that killed his father on February 28, and no known audio or video recordings of him have been released in the intervening months, raising questions about his health and his ability to carry out his duties as supreme leader.

The Iranian authorities are likely to justify his absence from his father's funeral on security grounds. However, the attendance of virtually all of the Islamic republic's senior officials suggested the authorities were confident enough in the security arrangements despite the possibility of an Israeli or US attack.

Those present included the heads of the three branches of government, commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and senior officers of the IRGC's overseas Quds Force, which oversees Iran's foreign military and covert operations.

On July 3, US President Donald Trump said Washington had given Tehran "a week off" for the funeral proceedings before the resumption of indirect negotiations with Iran on implementing a framework peace agreement.

Ali Khamenei's three other sons -- Mostafa, Masud, and Meysam -- all of whom had remained out of public view since the outbreak of the war, were present beside their father's coffin on July 5.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda