U.S.-Iran Latest: Slain supreme leader's coffin on display as Iran gears up for dayslong funeral, with peace talks paused

Top foreign officials on Friday paid their final respects to the country's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of a week of funeral ceremonies, with allies and mourners converging on Tehran, where his body is lying in state.

Authorities expect public mourning and grand processions to attract millions before Khamenei's burial next week, four months after he was killed aged 86 at his compound in the opening U.S.-Israeli salvo of the war.

Mourners carried his coffin aloft at the vast Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital Friday, with the casket draped in the colours of the Islamic republic that he led for more than three decades.

Delegations from Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah joined the mourning, a day before a public ceremony was set to begin.

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with other allies including China and Iran's neighbors in the Caucasus region saying they would be sending representatives.

Ezzat Shoai, a 61-year-old teacher, told the AFP news agency her neighborhood had "prepared our houses to welcome those who come from outside the capital."

"God willing ... we will go together to say goodbye to our dear leader."

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Friday threatened Saudi Arabia's airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt an attack, as the rebels accused the kingdom of an earlier airspace intrusion.

"At 5:20 AM this Friday morning, a formation of Saudi enemy warplanes violated the airspace of Yemeni governorates," military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

"We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country. Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his congratulations on the United States' 250th anniversary in a phone call Friday with President Trump.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now spoken with US President Donald Trump and congratulated him on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the US Independence Day," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

"The Prime Minister said in their conversation that the US is a guarantor of global freedom, and Israel greatly values the close ties between nations," it added.

The only news from the short press release was that Mr. Trump and Netanyahu agreed to hold a meeting in the U.S. "soon." The statement offered no further specifics. 

Netanyahu last visited the U.S. in mid-February, just a couple weeks before the two countries launched massive strikes on Iran and plunged the entire region into further conflict.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose country maintains close ties with Iran, paid his respects at the coffin of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Friday, Iranian state media reported.

Medvedev, described on state TV as a "special emissary of Russian President Vladimir Putin," was received by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

CBS/AFP

European allies have filled most of the holes created by a U.S. decision to cut back military contributions in times of crisis, NATO's top commander told The Associated Press on Friday.

U.S. Gen. Alex Grynkewich urged Europeans to make more equipment available after the U.S. signaled on June 3 that it would no longer supply an aircraft carrier and support ships, aerial refueling planes and dozens of fighter jets, among other assets, to the continent.

He also began weighing backup plans in case of an attack against Europe.

The so-called NATO Force Model is the alliance's Plan A for making forces from the 32 member nations available in times of peace, crisis or war. It sets out the military assets commanders can call on in phases over the first six months of any conflict.

"In a matter of weeks, European Allies have largely filled the gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model," Grynkewich said, days before President Donald Trump and his counterparts gather for a July 7 and 8 summit in Turkey, where force planning will be high on the agenda.

"And in those few areas where they haven't, where they do not currently have a like capability to replace, we are looking at alternate capabilities with matching effect," Grynkewich said. He provided no further details.

In a decision that took many allies by surprise, the Pentagon informed its NATO allies it would no longer provide as much as it focuses on potential threats elsewhere, notably from China in the Indo-Pacific region.

AP

More than 640,000 displaced people in Lebanon have returned home as the war between Hezbollah and Israel has eased thanks to a regional ceasefire, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Lebanon was drawn into the Iran war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon, where its troops still occupy swathes of territory.

Israeli attacks have killed roughly 4,300 people and displaced over 1 million, particularly from southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanese authorities say.

In a report on Thursday, the International Organization for Migration said, "646,107 [internally displaced persons] have begun returning to their communities," while about 500,000 other people remain displaced, based on data collected in coordination with local authorities since June 22.

It is still impossible to return to dozens of towns and villages near the southern border, many of which have suffered massive destruction.

An agreement signed by Tehran and Washington last month established a ceasefire in Lebanon starting June 21.

However, Israeli officials vow their forces will remain in a 6-mile-deep "security zone," despite the ceasefire.

Last week, Lebanon and Israel concluded a U.S.-backed framework agreement aiming to pave the way for a permanent end to the war. The agreement calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there — starting with two "pilot" areas.

However, the agreement — rejected by Hezbollah — does not set a timetable for Israeli withdrawal. Instead, it makes Israeli withdrawal contingent on Hezbollah's disarmament first, a tall order experts say the Lebanese state cannot meet.

CBS/AFP

Afghanistan's foreign minister in the Taliban government paid his respects on Friday at the coffin of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iranian state television showed.

Amir Khan Muttaqi's tribute came just hours after that of Ahmad Massoud, the head of a key anti-Taliban group, whose father was backed by Iran in the 1990s.

AFP

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid his respects at the coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday, state TV footage showed.

Sharif, whose country has been mediating U.S.-Iran talks alongside Qatar to permanently end their conflict, was accompanied by army chief Asim Munir and a delegation as they visited the coffin.

CBS/AFP

The head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, who emerged from hiding Thursday, has said that the country's enemies will take the dream of the country's surrender to their graves.

Speaking Friday ahead of the dayslong public funeral for slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vahidi said of the former supreme leader: "His presence will remain everlasting for us, for our beloved Iran, and for the Islamic Ummah, and we will never deviate from his path."

Addressing Iran's "enemies," Vahidi warned: "You will take to your grave the dream of seeing this nation surrender – a nation that, with the shedding of this pure blood, moves day by day closer to the peaks of power."

Until Thursday, Vahidi hadn't been seen in public since Feb. 8, three weeks before the Iran war began.

He is believed to be part of a small group in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei, and his wife, Zahra Haddad Adel.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday paid his respects at the remains of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, alongside other officials including the country's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

State television showed Pezeshkian praying at Khamenei's coffin, where a black turban had been placed, which is worn by clerics to signify descent from the Prophet Mohammed.

AFP

The commander-in-chief of Iran's army, Major Gen. Amir Hatami, has vowed to "avenge the blood" of the slain supreme leader.

"Without a doubt, this martyrdom has strengthened our resolve," he told state broadcaster IRIB. "Today, with even firmer determination, we tell the enemies of the Iranian nation – the criminal United States and the treacherous, criminal Zionist regime: We will avenge the blood of our martyred Imam and all of our martyrs."

Iran has begun the first stage of funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with foreign dignitaries, heads of states, religious leaders and members of Iran's religious minorities paying their respects at Tehran's Grand Mosalla.

The leader's body was carried into the Grand Mosalla early Friday and placed in the main prayer hall ahead of a two-day public farewell ceremony.

Among the first foreign guests to pay tribute were religious scholars and cultural figures from Indonesia and Afghanistan.

The ceremony will also be attended by official representatives from several countries, including Turkmenistan, Iraq, China and Russia, alongside clerics and other religious figures.

Those spotted at the Mosalla today include the presidents of Iraq, Georgia and Tajikistan, and high-ranking officials from Turkey and Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, has departed for Tehran to attend the funeral, which is expected to draw delegations from around the world over the two-day mourning period.

Iranian officials say they expect some 15-20 million mourners to join the events, which would make it the biggest state funeral in Iran's history.

Khamenei's coffin is on display next to those of his slain family members, including his 14-month-old granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani.

A powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.

Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran's tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei.

Vahidi hadn't been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began.

Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold a dayslong funeral for Khamenei, and his body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei, who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West. 

The body of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes in February, arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex ahead of his funeral, state media reported early Friday local time.

"The body of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution has arrived at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla," IRNA wrote on Telegram, using the complex's official name.

It remains unknown if Khamenei's son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present.

Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have been paused for Khamenei's funeral.

While discussing the war with Iran in a CNBC interview, President Trump said: "This is not a war per se. This is the de-nuking of Iran."

At various points in recent months, Mr. Trump has avoided calling the conflict with Iran a war.

He also said of negotiations with Iran, "I think they've agreed to just about everything we need."

Mr. Trump's stated goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but the exact contours of any potential nuclear deal with Iran remain unclear. The president has said he wants Iran to give up all uranium enrichment, an ask that Iran has rejected in the past.

The foreign minister of Iran criticized the presence of the U.S. military in the region and said it was contributing to the region being less secure. 

"Has CENTCOM brought security or insecurity to our region? The answer is clear," Abbas Araghchi said on X.

Araghchi was replying to a post from CENTCOM on X discussing the meeting between Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper and senior military officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The headline on the U.S. post read: "CENTCOM Leads Regional Security Dialogue with 12 Nations in Bahrain."

The comments from Araghchi, one of the top Iranian officials involved in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran about a lasting peace, could be a sign talks are not going particularly well.

"Peace in our region can only be sustained when comprehensive and inclusive, with no outside interference," Araghchi added in his post.

At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, a period that included Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd's List Intelligence. That's up from 138 ships the previous week.

Traffic has slowed since the Iranian strikes on June 25 and 27. At least 80 more ships passed the strait Monday through Wednesday, according to Lloyd's and shipping data and analysis firm Windward.

Iran's attacks "seem to have been forgotten," Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd's, said Thursday during a webinar.

Ship traffic in the strait remains far below levels seen before the war, when about 130 vessels passed through daily.

The debate over who will control the Strait of Hormuz continues to prove problematic for a lasting peace between the U.S. and Iran.

Hamidreza Haji-Babai, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, said on Thursday the U.S. should respect Iran's authority over the strait.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a symbol of the Islamic Republic of Iran's authority, and the United States must respect the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in this strategic waterway," he told the state-owned IRNA news agency.

The U.S. has repeatedly said Iran will not be allowed to charge tolls for use of the waterway. Oman, a U.S. ally, which has said it does not support tolls, began negotiations Monday with Iran about how to handle administration of the strait going forward. 

Down-blending Iran's stockpile of about 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which will make it not as close to weapons grade, is listed as a "minimum methodology" to resolve that point in the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding.

The highly enriched uranium is believed by U.N. experts to be buried under Iran's Isfahan nuclear facility, which was severely damaged by U.S. strikes in June 2025, so reaching it will be complicated.

If and when experts do access the material, Spencer Faragasso, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, said "down-blending the enriched material is not a solution" for the U.S. 

"While it sets Iran back, it still leaves them with a long-term path to a nuclear weapons capability," he said. "Removing all the enriched uranium from Iran is the only concrete solution, but we haven't observed Iran concede on that point."

Faragasso said there has been "no indication that major concessions by Iran on its nuclear program have been made."

"We have observed continued construction at Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear facility under construction just south of Natanz, which indicates that Iran is progressing with its plans at the facility and possibly using this future facility as a hedge in case negotiations collapse," he said. "The facility is likely large enough to hold an enrichment plant."

Meanwhile, he added, "Iran is currently earning potentially billions of dollars from its oil exports from waivers granted by the U.S. government." 

"It desperately needs this money to fill its coffers, rebuild its war industry, finance state security forces, and provide a much-needed cash injection to its proxy forces," he said.

President Trump struck a positive note Wednesday when describing indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Qatar, saying "the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well."  

The memorandum of understand that both sides signed on June 17 committed them "to negotiating and achieving" a final deal to formally end the war in a "maximum 60 days." 

This week was only the second time the two sides have engaged since then, and Robert Murrett, an academic and former U.S. Navy Vice-Admiral, says "the negotiations that have taken place thus far have not wrestled with the toughest issues." 

Iran's hope to retain some nuclear enrichment capacity, and how its existing stockpile of highly-enriched uranium can be removed or destroyed, are among the major points still to be resolved. 

They "have been largely deferred to later discussions," Murrett said. 

It's hard to know how much progress the talks have really made, Mark Cancian, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marines Corps who's now a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CBS News on Thursday, "since little information has been provided, and there are frequent public disagreements between the United States and Iran over what was agreed to." 

"There seems to be a potential deal on the table regarding nuclear materials," he added. "Iran would agree not to enrich for 10 to 15 years, would downblend its existing enriched uranium, and allow some sort of international monitoring. Maybe the nuclear materials would be held by a third country." 

"The Strait of Hormuz is a more difficult issue because the two sides have irreconcilable demands," said Cancian, referring to the strategic waterway that Iran largely closed-off right after the war started.

"Iran demands recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait, jointly with Oman, while the United States demands complete freedom of navigation, which has been the practice to date."

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Lebanon's president Thursday that Damascus had no intention of intervening militarily in his country, according to the Lebanese presidency, despite U.S. pressure to do so.

Shaibani is visiting Beirut, where he met parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group based in Lebanon, for the first time.

President Trump has repeatedly said Syria could "take care of Hezbollah," criticizing Israel's strategy in its war with the U.S.-designated terrorist group.

But Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he has no intention of intervening.

Shaibani told Aoun he wanted "to clear up the confusion sparked by reports of a potential Syrian military intervention in Lebanon," adding that Syria has "no intention of undertaking such a move," according to the statement from the Lebanese presidency.

After meeting Berri, al-Shaibani told reporters he would not rule out the possibility of a meeting with Hezbollah officials in the future.

Syria's new government, led by Sharaa, is hostile to Hezbollah, which was allied with the country's former longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, and it has announced arrests of alleged cells affiliated with the group.

Hezbollah denies having any presence in Syria.

Since late 2024, Hezbollah's former Syrian supply routes have been cut and Damascus authorities say several attempts to smuggle weapons to Lebanon have been foiled.

CBS/AFP

The memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran signed on June 17 gave them 60 days to reach a wider deal to end the war, but that period is likely to be extended, an analyst tells CBS News.

Under the terms of the MoU, both sides committed "to negotiating and achieving the final deal" to formally end the war in a "maximum 60 days." 

So far, the two sides have engaged only twice – once directly, once indirectly, and negotiations have now stopped for at least a week for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Iranian supreme leader killed by a U.S.-Israeli strike on the first day of the war.

The key issue of Iran's denuclearization, which the MoU lists among the matters to resolve during the 60 days of talks, seems barely to have been touched.

The negotiation period, according to the terms of the MoU, is "extendable with mutual consent." 

And Robert Murrett, an academic and former U.S. Navy Vice-Admiral, told CBS News on Thursday that "many of us expect that there will be extensions after the initial 60-day period." 

President Trump and mediators from Qatar and Pakistan said progress was made during this week's indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Doha, only the second time the two sides have engaged since they signed a memorandum of understanding to extend a ceasefire on June 17.

But do we have any indication that difficult issues like Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions were actually tackled? Was there real progress, or did the discussions this week go back over already trod ground?

"In Doha this week, both sides supposedly discussed the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in dialogue with Oman," Eric Lob, a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Middle East Program, told CBS News. "They also apparently addressed unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets in Qatar and elsewhere."

Both of those matters are included in the 14 points of the memorandum signed two weeks ago.

And despite President Trump's remark on Wednesday that "the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well," Lob said "it does not appear that the issue was tackled in an in-depth manner, if at all."

"Both sides seem to be prioritizing the Strait of Hormuz and delaying discussing the complex and contentious nuclear program," he said.

Mr. Trump has pushed hard for ship traffic through the strait to return to pre-war levels, as the constrained flow of oil and gas tankers drove up global energy prices significantly. The war saw Iran effectively shut down the waterway, while the U.S. blockaded Iranian ports and ships in response. 

"Earlier in the talks, President Trump stated he would be willing to be flexible with the 60-day deadline involving the nuclear issue," said Lob. "It will likely take more time for both sides to reach a comprehensive agreement, given it took President Obama and his administration approximately two years, if not longer, to do so with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015."

"Then again, President Trump and his administration are not starting from scratch. Since 2025, they have engaged in two rounds of negotiations with Iran, which were both abruptly interrupted by Israeli and American attacks."

With the largely indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran entering a pause of at least a week for the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, some key questions about the talks remain unanswered. 

Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago, both sides committed "to negotiating and achieving the final deal" to formally end the war in a "maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent."

But when exactly did the countdown begin, and how many days of actual talks can be counted? 

"The Iranians seem to think the 60-day negotiating period started in mid-June with the signing of the memorandum of understanding," Eric Lob, a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Middle East Program, told CBS News. "During indirect negotiations in Doha this week, the Iranians supposedly stated that they would impose tolls on oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-August, after the 60-day window ended."

The MoU was intended to completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping and end the fighting in Iran - and in Lebanon - while negotiators got down to the more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program, during the 60 days of talks.

So far, U.S. and Iranian negotiators have engaged only twice since the agreement was signed on June 18 - once for direct talks in Switzerland on June 21, and this week, via mediators, for a day in Qatar.

Neither the U.S. nor Iran have said whether only those two days count against the 60 provisioned by the MoU, or if they are counting all 14 days since it was signed. 

It's also unclear if the two sides are even counting the same way, but Lob said that given the terms of the MoU, which prohibit Iran from collecting any fees from ships in the strait during the negotiations, for instance, Tehran may be crossing days off on the calendar, regardless of what talks are actually taking place.

"Unlike with the nuclear issue, a condensed timeline serves Iran's interests by formalizing its control over the strait and reaping the financial benefits from it sooner," said Lob, "especially with all the economic challenges Tehran confronts."

Lebanon will not surrender "a single inch" of territory to Israel, President Joseph Aoun said Thursday, defending negotiations with Israel.

"We will not relinquish a single inch of Lebanese land," he said in a statement posted by the country's presidency on X, "and let judgment be passed on us through implementation, for the goals we have set before our eyes do not differ from the goals of all Lebanese."

"I commend the tremendous effort exerted by the Lebanese negotiating delegation, both civilian and military, in the American capital," he added, referring to talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip in so-called security zones "until further notice."

Hezbollah has called negotiations with Israel "appeasement."

Hong Kong's flagship airline Cathay Pacific announced Thursday that it will resume flights to the Middle East, after the United States and mediators in talks with Iran said that there had been progress in negotiations.

Following the two sides' indirect discussions in Doha on Wednesday, President Trump, as well as Qatar and Pakistan, signaled that diplomacy was holding, despite exchanges of fire earlier in the week.

Cathay suspended flights to Dubai and Riyadh at the end of February after the war broke out.

The airline has raised fuel surcharges several times as the conflict has driven up oil prices.

It said Thursday it would resume daily passenger flights to Dubai and four-times weekly passenger flights to Riyadh from September 1. Freighter services to Riyadh will resume from August 1.

"Cathay will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Middle East prior to the resumption dates," the company said.

CBS/AFP

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Thursday for massive turnout at Ali Khamenei's funeral to avenge the supreme leader's death in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war.

"I invite all the Iranian people ... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence" at the funeral ceremonies starting Saturday, said Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's parliament speaker.

"The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," he added in a statement.

Khamenei's funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, will take place after President Trump and Qatari and Pakistani mediators claimed there had been positive progress in indirect talks this week.

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.

Iran "is preparing to experience one of the most significant moments in its history," Ghalibaf said.

It remains unknown if Khamenei's son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present.

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people pouring in from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

CBS/AFP

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the funeral of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei this week, the South Asian nation's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, will go to Iran and Turkey from 3-5 July ... he will go to Iran first for (the) supreme leader's funeral," ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters.

Pakistan has been mediating between the United States and Iran to end the regional war which began in February with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed the 86-year-old Iranian supreme leader in Tehran.

The public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings.

Pakistan shares deep historic ties with Iran. The two share a 560-mile border and cultural links, with Sunni-majority Pakistan home to the world's second-largest Shia population after Iran.

Sharif's trip to Turkey would involve meetings with Turkish leadership and businesspeople, Andrabi said.  

AFP

As President Trump touts progress in indirect U.S.-Iran talks, former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster expressed skepticism on "The Takeout with Major Garrett," arguing the diplomatic push is giving Iran a chance to refill its coffers.

McMaster, a CBS News contributor, said "Iran is the one making the progress in these negotiations because they're receiving big paychecks."

He noted that the U.S. lifted sanctions on Iranian oil and has floated unfreezing Iranian assets, which McMaster said could help Iran rebuild its military and rearm its regional proxies.

"They're getting the infusion of cash they desperately needed to get themselves up off the mat," said McMaster, who believes Mr. Trump's initial decision to go to war with Iran was correct.

Earlier Wednesday, when asked about reports that he had mulled a return to war with Iran, the president said "I think they've come a long way" and expressed optimism about Iran's compliance with the 60-day U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

McMaster argued, "The Iranians have come a long way because they're getting everything that they wanted."

Qatar and Pakistan said Tuesday that "positive progress was made" during indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran in Doha, Qatar's capital "regarding issues related to the memorandum of understanding" that continued the Iran war ceasefire.

"Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed Al Ansari, and Pakistan's foreign ministry, said in a joint statement shared on social media. "The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader." 

Vice President JD Vance said talks are going well in Doha, but would not take a return to full-scale military action off the table, saying it lies in the hands of Iran.

"I can't commit to anything, because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do," Vance told reporters after speaking to Marines at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. "As I said up there, what I can commit to is the president's not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there's a clearly defined purpose for it."

"If we've got to do more, of course, that's kind of up to the Iranians," he added. "If they try to rebuild their nuclear program, if they try to start shooting at commercial vessels again, that's going to change our calculus. But right now, what the president has said is, 'Go and make a deal, go and negotiate in good faith,' and that's what he's empowered us to do." 

Vance's comments also seemed to indicate conversations specific to the Iranian nuclear program had not yet begun.

"Obviously, we're worried about the nuclear issue, we're going to start talking about that," Vance said. "So right now the talks are going well, it's still pretty early, but talks are going well."

Vance also outlined a familiar list of conditions that could lead the U.S. to restart military action against Iran.

"If they try to rebuild that nuclear program, if they refuse to let inspections in, if they … resume shooting commercial vessels, which they have stopped for a few days, then obviously the president still has a lot of options on the table," Vance said.

Three members of a four-person MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter crew were rescued at sea after an "emergency water landing" in the Arabian Sea early Wednesday morning, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. 

A search continues for the fourth and final crew member.

There is "no indication" the helicopter, which is assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush, was shot down by hostile action, the military said. 

"Three of the helicopter's four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush," U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said. "U.S. Navy assets in the region are currently searching for [the] other aircrewman still missing."

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Iranian state media outlets have published the schedule for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's former supreme leader who was killed on Feb. 28, the first day of the war, in a U.S.-Israeli strike.

Ceremonies will take place across three major Iranian cities, Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, as well as two important Shiite Muslim cities in Iraq, Karbala and Najaf.

Iranian officials say they expect some 15-20 million mourners to join the events, which would make it the biggest state funeral in Iran's history.

Commemorations are expected to last for six days, beginning on July 4 with three days of events in Tehran culminating with the main funeral procession on July 6. The airspace above the city will be completely closed during the period, state media said.

On July 7, Khamenei's body will be transferred to the holy city of Qom, then onto Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before the final day of commemorations on July 9 in Mashhad, where he will be buried.