Millions of people, including international representatives, are expected to attend the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. His death occurred at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. US President Donald Trump announced a week-long pause in bombing for the funeral, while India was represented by Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and MoS External Affairs Pabitra Margherita. The event is anticipated to be one of the largest gatherings in Iran's history, with ceremonies delayed due to security concerns.
Glimpses of Iran's farewell to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as mourners gathered in huge numbers for his funeral procession in Tehran.
Thousands of mourners and international delegates gathered as Iran paid its final respects to its late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike on February 28, in Tehran.
A sensational New York Times report alleging that Israel's Mossad secretly groomed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a post-Islamic Republic Iran is being scrutinised for its strategic timing amidst Iran's sensitive post-Khamenei transition.
Thousands of mourners gathered at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on July 4, 2026 for a farewell ceremony honouring Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes. Grieving crowds carried his portrait and expressed raw emotion as Iran continues its multi-day state funeral proceedings for the slain leader.
US-Israel air attacks intensified on the seventh day of war, striking Tehran and other Iranian cities.
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that he has "left instructions" to launch a massive military action against Iran, if Tehran succeeds in the plan of assassinating him, while stressing that the country would be bombed "at levels they have never seen before", New York Post reported.
Atlanta Police are implementing enhanced security measures for the World Cup semi-final between Argentina and England, a match deemed high-risk due to the historical animosity between the two nations.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington has the capability to liquidate the surviving Iranian leadership with "one shot" if it desired, pointing to the congregation of top Iranian officials attending the week-long state funeral for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life in joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Iran launched their World Cup campaign in Los Angeles amid protests by Iranian-Americans, highlighting deep divisions over Tehran's government even as Team Melli drew passionate support from fans in the stands.
Iran launched retaliatory military strikes targeting Israel and American military bases across the region, including in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
The latest development comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran continue despite renewed hostilities. CNN reported that US and Iranian officials are still working towards a nuclear agreement by mid-August, even as preparations for possible military action have continued in parallel.
A source familiar with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's thinking revealed on Saturday that the department "intends to utilise all available authorities to make Iranian assets accessible for rebuilding and repair efforts related to any future damage inflicted by Iran."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a significant policy shift, declaring that Israel's robust economy no longer requires American financial assistance. He also reiterated strong opposition to Palestinian statehood, affirmed an aggressive national defence strategy, warned of pre-emptive strikes against Iran, and confirmed the continued military presence in southern Lebanon.
Iran twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening World Cup match on Monday after an end-to-end contest played against the backdrop of Iranian fan protests against the government in Tehran.
Top leaders from the US, Iran, and Pakistan, along with other nations, have gathered in Switzerland for high-level talks aimed at restoring peace in West Asia. These negotiations follow a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran, initiating a 60-day window for a deal. Discussions focus on Iran's nuclear programme and the fragile interim peace deal, amidst renewed tensions and the fluctuating status of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran hosted a large send-off rally for its World Cup team in Tehran, despite ongoing concerns about visa issues for entry into the United States, where the team is scheduled to play its group matches.
As many as 35 vessels, including cargo carriers and oil tankers, successfully navigated through the strategic maritime chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz over the last 24 hours, according to Iran's state media reports citing a formal declaration by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday signed the historic peace deal between the United States and Iran as a guarantor; the agreement will see the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade.
Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of 35 individuals on charges ranging from espionage to illegal trafficking, including alleged Mossad-linked suspects and affiliates of separatist organisations.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is set to be football's largest tournament but will unfold against a backdrop of significant geopolitical tensions, including conflicts, strained alliances, and complex immigration policies, challenging its traditional role as a symbol of global unity.
The embassy also said that the exit must be undertaken in coordination with the mission.
The escalating crisis in West Asia and its impact on the global energy supply chain are expected to dominate deliberations at a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers to be hosted by India.
Citizens in the city of Ilam formed a human chain on Tuesday to demonstrate their defiance against recent threats from US President Donald Trump.
Tensions between Washington, DC and Tehran have reached a boiling point, as a heavy barrage of aerial strikes was reported across multiple locations in Iran on Tuesday.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday claimed that Tehran "begged" for a truce, maintaining that Washington achieved a "decisive military victory" during 'Operation Epic Fury.'
In the central Iranian city of Isfahan, residents gathered at Imam Square to protest the strikes and to mourn what state media termed the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei. Demonstrators raised slogans including "God is great" as the airstrikes continued.
Protests on multiple fronts disrupted the atmosphere outside the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, as demonstrators raised sharply different concerns over global politics and local issues.
On Saturday, February 28, the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran marking a significant escalation in Middle East tensions.
The West Asia conflict escalated sharply as Iran launched missiles towards Israel, while Tehran confirmed the killing of its intelligence minister in Israeli strikes, marking the third assassination of a senior Iranian official in two days.
The logic of war plus the gathering storms in US politics as the midterms loom large leave him with no real alternative but to negotiate, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
Five members of the Iranian women's football team, who initially sought asylum in Australia, have withdrawn their claims and are returning to Iran.
Nobody takes Pakistan seriously and therefore Pakistan's sudden mediating with almost immediate results of a ceasefire seems more contrived than real, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
...is a way out, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War. What the indefinite extension produces is a prolonged condition of not-war-not-peace, in which oil markets cannot stabilise, Asian refineries cannot plan, European governments cannot stop subsidising consumption they cannot afford, and the next flashpoint -- a seized tanker, a miscalculated drone strike, a Truth Social post that claims too much -- is one news cycle away.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday issued a formal address and said that the event is a moment of profound religious and historical consequence.
A senior Iranian legislator has suggested that Tehran could further escalate pressure on its adversaries by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising concerns about global supply chain vulnerabilities.
'Much will depend on the position of the United States.' 'It will have to be seen to what extent the US will be more interested in achieving some form of a deal and to what extent Israel will be allowed to continue to carry out both airstrikes and the killing of Iranian officials.'
