Israel Says Troops Free To Act In Lebanon As Cease-Fire Tested
Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon are free to take action to remove threats, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, as tensions persist despite a cease-fire, casting a shadow over talks between US and Iranian negotiators in Switzerland.
Katz said on June 21 that troops remained in position in what Israel calls a security zone extending about 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon. He said the protection of Israeli soldiers and civilians “is the highest and unrestricted priority.” Lebanon considers the zone an illegal occupation under international law.
"All of the IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] achievements in the campaign in Lebanon are being preserved, with our forces deployed in the security zone along the Yellow Line in Lebanon and operating from there inward against terrorists and terrorist infrastructures," Katz said in a statement.
A cease-fire took effect on June 19 between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
The cease-fire followed months of escalating cross-border violence.
However, Israeli air strikes have killed dozens of people in Lebanon since it took effect, according to Lebanese officials.
Israel said the strikes were in response to projectiles fired at its troops in the south, targeting what an Israeli official described as Hezbollah positions.
A Hezbollah official told Reuters the group remains committed to the truce as long as Israel does the same, saying Israeli forces do not have freedom of movement in southern Lebanon.
The official said Hezbollah had not fired on Israeli troops since 6:30 p.m. local time on June 20. Security sources told Reuters that Israel had also launched no major strikes since that time, marking the longest lull since fighting erupted on March 2.
Iranian officials say Lebanon will be a focal point of peace talks in Switzerland, following a framework agreement aimed at halting the broader conflict that began in late February.
Foreign Dignitaries Arrive In Tehran For Khamenei Funeral Ceremonies
Foreign dignitaries arrived in Tehran on July 3 ahead of official mourning ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian state television reported.
Delegations from China, Belarus, Iraq, and Turkmenistan were shown arriving as Khamenei's coffin lay in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla prayer complex.
The weeklong ceremonies will begin in Tehran before continuing to Qom and Iraq, culminating in Khamenei's burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
With reporting by dpa
Iranian State Media Shows Revolutionary Guards Chief Making First Public Appearance Since War Began
Ahmad Vahidi, the commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appeared publicly for the first time since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, paying his respects at the coffin of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on July 3, according to footage broadcast by Iranian state media.
Vahidi, who has kept a low profile since the conflict began amid concerns that senior Iranian commanders could be targeted for assassination, placed his hand on Khamenei's coffin and prayed, images published by the semiofficial Fars news agency showed.
A day earlier, the IRNA state news agency reported that Vahidi had appeared at an official government meeting that was also attended by President Masud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani among others. The agency also published photographs from the meeting.
A veteran IRGC commander and former defense minister, Vahidi took over as head of the Revolutionary Guards in March after his predecessor, Mohammad Pakpur, was killed during the war.
He had previously served as deputy commander following the death of the previous IRGC chief, Hossein Salami, in Israeli strikes in 2025, making him the third commander to lead the force in less than a year.
The IRGC is Iran's powerful ideological military force, operating alongside the country's regular armed forces and wielding significant influence over national security, foreign policy, and large parts of the economy.
With reporting by AFP and RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Khamenei's Body Moved To Tehran Prayer Complex For Funeral Ceremonies
Iranian authorities have begun special funeral and burial ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed alongside several associates and family members during the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
According to Iranian domestic news agencies, Khamenei's body was transferred to Tehran's Grand Mosalla, the capital's main prayer complex, on the morning of July 3.
The reports said that foreign delegations are expected to "pay their respects to the former leader of the Islamic republic" later in the day.
Iranian authorities have planned a weeklong program comprising a "farewell, funeral procession, and burial" for Khamenei and say they hope "millions of people" will take part in the ceremonies.
Khamenei ruled Iran for more than three decades, a period marked for many Iranians by repression, intimidation, arrests, and severe political and social restrictions.
After his death in US-Israeli air strikes on February 28 was announced, some Iranians publicly expressed satisfaction at the news, prompting arrests, heavy sentences, and, in some cases, the threat of execution.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Waltz Warns Iran Against Holding The World's Economy 'Hostage'
The United States and Iran exchanged sharp accusations at the United Nations Security Council on July 2 over Tehran's recent attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf, amid growing strain on a US-Iran cease-fire agreement.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz accused Iran of violating its June 17 memorandum of understanding with Washington by attacking its Gulf neighbors and disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran cannot and we cannot allow it to hold the world's economy hostage," Waltz said, urging Tehran to halt attacks on neighboring states and keep the strategic waterway open.
Warning that diplomacy could falter, he added: "I cannot stress enough the possibility of real transformative positive opportunity for the nation and people of Iran is on the table, but President [Donald] Trump's patience is not unlimited."
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani accused Iran of "deliberately" targeting civilian facilities, critical infrastructure and residential areas, saying the attacks killed three civilians and wounded 465 others.
Iran's UN ambassador, Amir-Saeed Iravani, rejected the accusations and argued that countries hosting US military bases had become targets because they had facilitated US and Israeli military operations.
The "presence of American bases in their countries not only does not bring security to their countries but also make their countries vulnerable," he said.
Waltz dismissed Iran's justification for the attacks, calling them "a cynical, sad, and sick attempt at global blackmail. Plain and simple."
UN Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Spehar said the US-Iran memorandum offered "a measure of hope that dialogue and diplomacy can regain momentum."
Mojtaba Khamenei Did Not Attend Funeral For His Late Wife
Iranian media have reported that the funeral and memorial service for Zahra Haddad Adel, the daughter-in-law of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the wife of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was held in Tehran on July 1.
According to the Iranian daily Hamshahri, "a number of colleagues and friends" of Zahra Haddad Adel attended the ceremony.
A written tribute described by Iranian state media as a "heartfelt message" from Mohammad Baqer Hosseini Khamenei, the son of Mojtaba Khamenei and Zahra Haddad, was also read during the service.
News reports described Zahra Haddad Adel as a teacher.
Along with other members of her family, the ceremony was attended by Gholamali Haddad Adel, Zahra's father and a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council -- an unelected body that advises the supreme leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend. He has not been seen in public since being reportedly injured in the air strike that killed his father in February at the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
The funeral for the supreme leader's daughter-in-law was held more than four months after her death in the same air strike on Ali Khamenei's residence.
Other members of Ali Khamenei's family were also killed in the attack, including his daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law.
Prisoner Health Worsening At Iran's Evin Prison
According to Radio Farda sources, the health and medical situation in Evin Prison has worsened in recent months.
In the most recent case, political prisoner Mohammad Mehdipour was transferred to the hospital after months of bleeding, severe weight loss, frequent coughing, and digestive problems. He was diagnosed by doctors with gastrointestinal and pulmonary tuberculosis.
The delay in diagnosing Mehdipour has put a number of his fellow prisoners at risk of contracting tuberculosis.
The sources told Radio Farda that restrictions on prisoner visits to medical facilities, a shortage of medicine, and a lack of adequate facilities in the prison have led to an increase in kidney, heart, digestive, skin, and infectious diseases in Evin Prison.
The prison is a notorious high-security facility in northwestern Tehran, which is known for holding political prisoners, journalists, activists, and for its widespread reports of torture and human rights abuses.
Armed Clashes In Kurdish Cities Leave Several Dead
According to reports from Iran, there have been armed clashes around the northwestern cities of Sardasht and Piranshahr on July 1 between groups opposing the Islamic republic and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Both cities have a dominant Kurdish majority.
Two human rights organizations, Hana and Hengaw, which cover the Kurdish regions of Iran, reported that several people were killed in the clashes. According to Hana, the IRGC used heavy weaponry and the clashes took place near residential areas full of civilians.
News outlets close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) reported that on the evening of July 1, five members of the party were killed during an armed clash with the IRGC near the village of Qazqapan, close to Piranshahr.
The KDPI, one of the oldest and largest Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, has engaged in armed struggle against the Iranian regime, which has designated the party as a terrorist organization and banned it. The party operates out of Iraq.
The Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC, reported that six members of the KDPI were killed in the clashes, although gave no further details.
The Saberin News Telegram channel, which is close to Iranian security apparatus, also confirmed the clashes, claiming that 11 members of the Kurdish opposition were killed in two separate clashes.
RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the details of these reports.
Earlier on the evening of July 1, the KDPI said that one of the group's camps in the Iraqi Kurdistan region had been attacked by drones.
There were other clashes earlier in the week. Iranian media reported that two members of the IRGC were killed in a shooting outside their homes in the city of Paveh in the Kermanshah Province, a predominantly Kurdish region, on the evening of June 29.
Qatari Foreign Ministry Says 'Positive Progress' In Doha Talks
Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, has said that US and Iranian negotiators made "positive progress...on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding" in talks on July 1.
With Qatari and Pakistani mediation, Iranian and US negotiators have been holding indirect, technical talks in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Writing on X, al-Ansari also said that "The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader."
From July 4-9, several Iranian cities will hold processions and funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
His body will lie in state in Tehran and the former leader will be buried in the Imam Reza Shrine in the city of Mashhad.
Tehran Rejects US Assertions About IAEA Access To All Iranian Nuclear Sites
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Qalibaf has dismissed reports of expanded nuclear inspections concessions as "lies," asserting that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors will not be granted access to damaged nuclear facilities despite the push from US President Donald Trump administration.
Speaking on state television on July 1, Qalibaf emphasized that under the existing laws ratified by Iranian parliament and the Supreme National Security Council, inspectors are strictly barred from accessing any bombed or damaged sites "under any circumstances." He specified that access remains tightly restricted to just two locations: the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Tehran research reactor.
By labeling contrary reports as falsehoods, Qalibaf signaled a rigid baseline for upcoming talks with US, underscoring that Tehran will offer "no concessions" beyond its current domestic legal framework, effectively blocking any broader oversight demands from Washington.
Iran Deputy FM: Part Of Frozen Assets To Be Used To Buy Goods For Tehran
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Qaribabadi said part of the $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar will be made available to Tehran in the form of goods.
Qaribabadi, speaking to the official IRNA news agency, said the decision was made during talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, on July 1.
He said during a meeting with officials from the Qatari Central Bank it was decided that “based on the declared needs of our country, the necessary goods would be purchased and made available to Iran.”
He did not provide further details and there has been no US confirmation of Qaribabadi's claim.
Qaribabadi headed an Iranian delegation to Qatar, where he said indirect technical talks were also held with US officials.
The release of billions in frozen Iranian assets held abroad is part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Tehran and Washington on June 17 aimed at ending months of war.
US President Donald Trump said on June 23 that any unlocked Iranian funds would be used to purchase American corn, soybeans, and wheat. The money, he said, would be held "in escrow, controlled by" Washington and spent "exclusively" on American food and medical supplies.
But Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati swiftly denied there was such an obligation. He added that if American prices and quality proved more competitive than other suppliers, “there is no obstacle to purchasing from that country.”