Iran funeral for former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as peace deal close

Funeral processions for Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be held in July, according to the state-run news agency, as mediators said an agreement to end the war is close.

The funeral, burial, and farewell ceremonies for Khamenei would take place between July 4 and 9, Iran’s state-run television, IRIB, reported. The news comes as mediators said an agreement to end the war is finally close, despite the fragile ceasefire and threats made by both sides of the conflict.

Khamenei was killed during the strikes launched by Israel and the United States launched against Iran in late February. He has since been replaced by his son, Mojtaba. Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, his daughter, and his son-in-law, are expected to begin in Tehran all on the same day.

Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that a deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East is closer than “ever before” and is expected to be finalised within 24 hours. Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, followed immediately by technical-level talks next week.

In a post on X, Mr Sharif said: “We would like to thank United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran for their ongoing commitment during the negotiations, and we extend our sincere appreciation to our brothers in the region for their support.”

The alleged breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the US and Israel over three days this week, threatening to push the Middle East into full-scale war. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday an agreement “has never been closer” in a post on X. US president Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal, shared Mr Araghchi’s post on his own social media.

The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has rattled the Middle East and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7. Three regional officials said they expect a signing ceremony for the agreement in the coming days after approval by officials in Washington and Tehran.

On Thursday, Mr Trump claimed significant progress in the negotiations, just hours after he threatened to escalate attacks and seize Iran’s oil industry.

President Donald Trump has asserted the war in Iran is approaching its conclusion, despite the recent exchanges of strikes between the U.S. and Tehran this week. Iran, however, continues to deny that a deal is close. Mr Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. and Iran could potentially finalize an agreement, creating a framework to end the three-month war, which has proven deeply unpopular at home and destabilized global oil markets.

Iran, through its foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, denied that the U.S. and Tehran have finalized peace negotiations and said that the country will not compromise on its “red lines”.

Khamenei dramatically remoulded the Islamic Republic since he took the reins after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Khomeini was the fiery, charismatic ideologue who led the overthrow of the shah and installed rule by Shia Muslim clerics tasked with spreading religious purity. He ended up ruling far longer than Khomeini. He greatly expanded the Shia clerical class and built the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard into the most important body underpinning his rule.

The Guard became a military and business behemoth, the country’s most elite force and head of its ballistic missile arsenal, with hands across Iran’s economic sectors.