UN rapporteur raises alarm over Iranian people, who are ‘invisible in the diplomatic process’
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran has called for for the plight of the Iranian people to be taken into account in the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
“The Iranian people have suffered both external military aggression and internal repression. They have also been rendered invisible in the diplomatic process intended to end the conflict. They bear the costs of both the war and the repression, with very little say in either case,” Mai Sato told French Magazine, Le Point.
Sato, who was refused entry to Iran by the Islamic Republic, said that international pressure on the authorities could have “concrete and real effects”.
“More generally, I believe that the authorities are always concerned about their international reputation,” she added.
US signs agreement to build permanent embassy in Jerusalem
The United States signed an agreement to build a new embassy compound in Jerusalem, a move that Israel said reflected the “unbreakable alliance” between the countries.
US ambassador Mike Huckabee said during a signing ceremony at Israel’s foreign ministry that Washington “recognises Jerusalem as the eternal, indigenous, and forever capital of the Jewish people”.
“We are going to plant our flag, our American flag, on the soil of Jerusalem for a permanent and a brand new embassy compound that will serve as our mothership of diplomatic activities here in Israel,” he added.
“I would say God made that decision 3,800 years ago, and we finally got around to acknowledging what had been determined long before the United States of America came along.”
The embassy will be built at the Allenby compound in southern Jerusalem.
Iran’s deputy FM says indirect talks with US in Doha have concluded
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has announced the conclusion of talks in Doha on implementing the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington on ending the Middle East war, state media reported.
The participants agreed that “a communication channel would be established by tomorrow” to report and record violations of the memorandum, the IRNA state news agency quoted Gharibabadi as saying.
US says it ‘stands shoulder-to-shoulder’ with Mid-East regional partners
The US Department of Defence’s CENTCOM sais it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with regional partners in the Middle East following a security conference with leaders from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
“The discussions underscored our shared commitment to regional security and stability,” CENTCOM commander, Adm. Brad Cooper said.
Ship runs aground in Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV reports
A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz while using a route not approved by Iran, state television in Tehran reported Wednesday. The vessel was identified as a foreign container ship, with no other details.
The report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran’s claims to control the strait, which the world has long considered an international waterway. A fifth of all oil and natural gas passed through it in peacetime.
Tehran beings public display of mourning days before funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Giant portraits of Ali Khamenei have flooded the streets of Tehran just days before the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
© AFP
Iran’s national football team arrive in Tehran after World Cup knock out
Fans crowd Mehrabad International Airport as members of the Iranian national football team arrive in Tehran after being eliminated from the World Cup.
Click here to read more about Iran’s curtailed World Cup Campaign.
© Majid Asgaripour, WANA via Reuters
What do we know about the upcoming funeral for Iran’s late supreme leader?
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed aged 86 in US-Israeli airstrikes that struck his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital on February 28, the first day of the war. Here’s what we know about the plans for his large-scale funeral, which is set to take place in cities across Iran:
- Khamenei’s public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at a colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings. The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.
- A separate event for foreign heads of state is scheduled for Friday, according to Ali-Akbar Pourjamshidian, secretary of the funeral ceremony headquarters, who estimated that representatives from around 30 countries including including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will attend.
- As well as Tehran, the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad will host later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies. All three cities will observe public holidays while the events are underway with authorities ordering offices in the capital to close from Saturday through Monday. Major traffic restrictions will make much of Tehran’s city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.
- Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad, his birthplace.
- The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country’s history. At the main ceremony in Tehran, it remains unknown if Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba will be present. Iran’s current leader has not been seen in public since his appointment.
Preparations underway for funeral of late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, online media reports
Non-state affiliated news outlet Iran Observer has posted a video on social media that is says shows the preparation of a “big venue” for the funeral of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israeli defence minister says troops to stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza ‘until further notice’
Israel’s defence minister has said troops will stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza “until further notice”, correcting an earlier statement that said the military would stay in security zones in the three countries “indefinitely”.
Israel accuses West Bank charity of funding terror attacks against troops
Israel’s military has accused a West Bank charity of cooperating with the Palestinian movement Hamas and financing armed groups after shutting down its headquarters the previous day, an allegation the organisation denies.
On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers shut down the headquarters of Al-Tadamon Charitable Society located in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
“Throughout its years of operation, the association, which operated under the guise of a civilian charity, cooperated with Hamas and financed several terrorist cells in the area,” the military said on Wednesday. “These funds were used to support and facilitate terrorist attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.”
The military said its troops sealed the headquarters of the charity and “confiscated more than 55,000 shekels (about $18,000) intended to finance terrorist activities”.
Trump says Iran denuclearisation ‘moving along well’
President Donald Trump has said the United States was getting along very well with Iran and that recent meetings in Qatar went well.
“The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters before leaving for a trip. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.”
Hormuz still a war zone, shipping employers and unions say
Unions and shipping employers said in a statement that they will continue to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a warlike operations area until at least July 9, maintaining double pay for seafarers in the area despite the fragile truce.
The status only covers ships whose companies are signatories of the International Bargaining Forum (IBF)’s labour agreements — around 15,000 vessels worldwide, according to the IBF.
Seafarers covered by the labour agreement working on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters get paid double, and have the right to refuse to sail into the area and request repatriation at the company’s expense, increasing costs for shipping companies.
“This decision recognises the continuing and significant risk to life and the rapidly evolving situation in the area,” said the joint statement from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), which represents maritime industry employers.
Vessels sit in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman on July 1, 2026. © Stringer, Reuters
Iran’s deputy foreign minister in Qatar to discuss Iran-US MoU implementation, state media says
Talks in Doha have focused on the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington, Iran’s deputy foreign minister has said, according to state media.
Heading a delegation with representatives from Iran’s foreign ministry, central bank and agriculture ministry, Kazem Gharibabadi held a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister as well as participated in a trilateral meeting between Iran, Qatar and Pakistan to review the interim deal’s implementation.
Iran warns of immediate response to any threat, cites US commitment to restrain Israel
Iran will deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its people or leadership, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an X post on Wednesday.
“POTUS has committed the US to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them,” Araqchi said.
The US and Iran held technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.
Araqchi’s X post was attached to comments made by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stating that Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “marked for death”.
Israel defence minister says troops to stay ‘indefinitely’ in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
Israel’s defence minister has said Israeli forces will remain in the so-called security zones established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, without any timeline for withdrawal.
“The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely in order to protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements,” Israel Katz said.
