Funeral for Iran's supreme leader set for July, while deal nears to end war

Islamabad, Jun 13 (AP) Funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be in July, the country’s state-run television said Saturday, as mediators said an agreement to end the war was close.

The funeral, burial and farewell events for Khamenei will take place between July 4 and 9 during Muharram, a traditional period of mourning in the Shiite Muslim calendar.

Khamenei was killed in the opening attack of the war that Israel and the United States launched against Iran in late February. He is succeeded by his son, Mojtaba, who is seen as even less compromising.

Pakistan says a deal to end the war is imminent, Iran signals caution ================================ Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal aimed

at ending the war was closer than “ever before” and expected to be finalised within 24 hours. Pakistan was preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, to be followed immediately by technical-level talks next week.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and Iran signalled caution.

“Although it will not happen tomorrow, the possibility that it could take place in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement carried by state TV.

Baghaei added that the Islamabad memorandum under discussion was focused on ending the war and “at this stage, it has been decided that there will be no discussion of the nuclear issue.” Iran’s nuclear programme and highly enriched uranium have long been at the centre of tensions with the US and Israel and an international source of concern.

Three regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said Friday they expected a signing ceremony in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve the agreement.

The apparent breakthrough came after Iran exchanged fire with the US and Israel earlier in the week, threatening to rupture a fragile ceasefire and push the Middle East back into full-scale war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Friday that an agreement “has never been closer.” US President Donald Trump, who has asserted multiple times in recent weeks the countries were on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi’s post on social media.

Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in negotiations, hours after he threatened to seize Iran’s oil industry.

The war has rattled the Middle East. Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for attacks virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf, and the US has blockaded Iranian ports. The ceasefire has been in place since April 7. (AP) NPK NPK