Large crowds of black-clad mourners have gathered outside Tehran's main mosque to pay their respects to Iran's former supreme leader on the first day of his funeral commemorations. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's body is currently lying in state at the Grand Mosalla, ahead of his burial in his hometown of Mashhad next Thursday. Authorities expect 15-20 million people to attend the ceremonies across Iran and Iraq over the coming days, which take place more than four months after Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes. Masses of supporters of the Islamic regime turned out on Saturday morning,  chanting slogans against the US and in support of revenge for the ayatollah's killing. "We came [to the funeral] because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end," 37-year-old professor Reza told news agency AFP in the Grand Mosalla's courtyard. "For a long time, we shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us." Arash Rahimi, 40, told Reuters: "Everyone here has come to avenge the blood of their supreme leader. "As our leader has said, we have a blood feud with the United States. Our relations with the United States will never be good." Khamenei was killed during joint Israeli and US strikes on Iran in late February, in what quickly spiralled into a wider regional conflict. US President Donald Trump said Iran's government was "dying to settle" a peace deal to end the war after a preliminary agreement was struck between the two, adding on Friday: "We gave them [Iran] a week off for a funeral because we're nice." Much of central Tehran will be locked down over the weekend as the funeral ceremony gets under way. It is expected to be the largest funeral ever in terms of attendees as a proportion of the country's population. Khamenei's body will lie in the Grand Mosalla for three days, alongside the remains of family members who were also killed in the air strikes. There will then be three further days of events outside of the capital.

Iran has begun several days of public mourning and funeral processions for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel. The former Ayatollah's body on Fruday (3 July) lay in state at Tehran's Grand Mosque, ahead of his burial in his hometown of Mashhad next Thursday. Iranian authorities said 12 to 20 million people were expected to attend the ceremonies, which are part of what they are calling the "funeral of the century". Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian was among those paying their respects after the coffin was placed at the vast religious complex. There will be an official funeral ceremony in Tehran on Saturday, which the Tehran-based Mohammad Rasulullah Corps is leading, as part of six days of ceremonies. Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will shut down most of the city centre to private vehicles, AFP reported. The airspace over Tehran was partially closed on Friday and will be fully closed on Monday. On Tuesday, events will move to Qom, just south of Tehran, where a senior Shia cleric will lead funeral prayers at Jamkaran - one of Iran's most prominent and symbolic religious sites Khamenei's body will then travel to Najaf in Iraq on Wednesday. Following a procession at the shrine of Imam Ali, Shia Islam's first imam, ceremonies will continue in Karbala before the body returns to Iran. Iranian officials say the Iraq events follow requests from Iraqi groups, with some analysts seeing them as representative of Khamenei's influence across the Shia Muslim world and Iran's religious and political ties across the region. (click image to read more)

The president of the European Commission, Ursual von der Leyen, on Thursday (2 July) made a short visit to the Armenian Capital, Yerevan, during which she met the Armenian leader, Nicol Pashinyan. This was Van der Leyen's second visit to Armenia in as many months. During the visit the President of the European Commission reiterated Europe's support for Pashinyan and his government, following the recent elections: On 7 June, the people of Armenia spoke clearly. They chose democracy. The rule of law. They chose reform and peace. They chose an open, welcoming, and inclusive society. And they chose to partner with the European Union. And together, we must now turn their aspirations into results. You can count on us.  Speaking ata joint press conference after her meeting, Van der Leyen said: "First of all, I want to congratulate you on your electoral victory. These elections have shown, once again, the strength of Armenia's democracy. The spirit of the Velvet Revolution which you led in 2018 is alive and well. Armenia is carrying on the path of democracy, reform, peace, and of a closer partnership with Europe. And I am here to tell you: you can count on us. While Armenia is coming closer to the EU, the South Caucasus is coming closer together. The initialling of the peace agreement last year was a history-making moment. The most consequential step this region has taken in decades. The same goes for the continued normalisation of relations with Türkiye. These decisions required political courage and leadership. And I know their rewards will be immense. Opening borders will transform Armenia's economic future. And it will anchor Armenia at the heart of one of the world's most strategic crossroads. We will stand by you to turn this vision into reality." (click image to read more)