Commuters drive past a giant billboard bearing a picture of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of his funeral, in Tehran.
Day 126 | Next indirect US-Iran talks to take place after Khamenei’s funeral
Iran and the United States concluded a new round of indirect talks in Doha, mediators announced Thursday, as part of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions following exchanges of military strikes between the two sides.
Washington and Tehran have been engaged in negotiations since mid-June, under a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 through Pakistani and Qatari mediation.
The talks are scheduled to continue for 60 days, with the option of renewal, and aim to end the war in the Middle East and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The 14-point memorandum also sets out a timeline for negotiations intended to bring the war to a definitive end and resolve issues including arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, funding for Iran's reconstruction, and the future of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
What was agreed?
Following Wednesday's indirect talks in Doha, US President Donald Trump and the Qatari and Pakistani mediators signaled that diplomatic efforts would continue.
In a joint statement Thursday, Qatar and Pakistan said: "The Qatari and Pakistani mediators concluded separate meetings with the American and Iranian negotiators in Doha (Wednesday), achieving positive progress."
At the conclusion of the talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who headed Tehran's delegation, said the participants agreed to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and document any potential violations of the memorandum of understanding.
Gharibabadi added that the discussions also addressed Iran's frozen assets, which Tehran has demanded be released as part of any settlement.
He said officials discussed using part of an initial six billion-dollar package and agreed to purchase and secure the goods Iran needs.
A source familiar with the negotiations, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the indirect talks in Doha focused primarily on arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, while the nuclear issue would be discussed in greater depth during future rounds.
Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran will resume after the funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Funeral ceremonies will begin Saturday, with Khamenei's body lying in state at the Imam Khomeini Musalla in Tehran, the venue used for major Friday prayers, official ceremonies, and religious gatherings.
Qatar and Pakistan said in separate statements that both sides agreed to continue the talks, with the date of the next meeting to be set "as soon as possible after the conclusion of Khamenei's funeral."
Khamenei is scheduled to be buried on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad, his birthplace.
Ali Khamenei’s body arrives at Tehran religious complex for funeral: state media
The body of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-‘Israeli’ strikes, arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex ahead of his funeral, state media reported Friday.
"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.
VIDEO - Life in Tehran ahead of Khamenei funeral
Giant banners of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian Red Crescent rescue workers, an ambulance bus and gardeners arranging plants are seen around Tehran's Grand Mosalla ahead of the public farewell for Iran's late supreme leader, whose body is due to lie in state from July 4 after he was killed in US-‘Israeli’ strikes on February 28.
US warned Iran of ‘Israeli’ assassination plots against Ghalibaf & Araghchi: NYT
US officials indirectly warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf of possible ‘Israeli’ assassination attempts during the sensitive ceasefire negotiations, according to a report published by The New York Times.
The warnings were conveyed through intermediaries in the region amid concerns that such actions could derail ongoing diplomatic efforts to end hostilities.
Current and former US officials said to the NYT that fears intensified in the weeks following the April 8 ceasefire, which paused a short but intense conflict involving the United States, ‘Israel’, and Iran.
The April 8 ceasefire emerged after a period of heightened tensions, including military engagements that drew in multiple regional actors.
Negotiations, facilitated in locations such as Islamabad, Pakistan, involved high-level Iranian representatives Araghchi and Ghalibaf engaging with US counterparts, including Vice President JD Vance and other envoys.
These talks aimed to establish a more durable peace framework. US officials expressed apprehension that ‘Israeli’ targeting of these key Iranian figures—central to the diplomatic process—would undermine progress and potentially reignite large-scale conflict.
American intelligence and diplomatic assessments suggested that ‘Israel’ viewed the elimination of senior Iranian leaders as a strategic element in its approach to the conflict.
To mitigate risks, the United States requested third-party nations in the region to alert Tehran about potential threats to Araghchi and Ghalibaf.
According to the report, two ‘Israeli’ fighter jets entered Iranian airspace while Ghalibaf was traveling back to Iran from Islamabad following talks with US Vice President JD Vance on April 12.
Two US officials told the NYT that Iranian security forces notified Ghalibaf, after which his plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad
He then continued to Tehran by land.
VIDEO - Body of Ali Khamenei arrives at farewell ceremony
The body of former Iranian Supreme Leader leader Khamenei arrives at the farewell ceremony near Imam Khomeini’s Hussainiyah.
Lebanese president says will not yield “a single inch” of land to ‘Israel’
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday said he would not "give up" any part of Lebanon's territory, after ‘Israeli’ officials reiterated that the ‘Israeli’ military would remain in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah poses a "threat," without setting a timetable for withdrawal.
Aoun, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency, said the direct negotiations Lebanon is holding with ‘Israel’, which Hezbollah strongly opposes, "are not an act of betrayal, but rather a diplomatic war in which no blood is needlessly shed."
He said the Lebanese state had decided to enter the negotiations "to secure its rights and guarantee the Israeli withdrawal from its territory," adding that "negotiations are not betrayal, but a diplomatic war in which no blood is needlessly shed."
Aoun described the talks as "the safest and least costly option for Lebanon after all the losses it has endured," adding, "We will not give up a single inch of Lebanon's land. Judge us by our actions."
Lebanon and ‘Israel’, under US mediation, signed a framework agreement on Friday paving the way toward ending the war after five rounds of negotiations between the two, which do not maintain diplomatic relations.
The agreement calls in particular for Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual ‘Israeli’ withdrawal from the areas it entered in southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army, beginning with two "pilot" zones.
It also states that "the details of this process will be outlined in a security annex prepared with full U.S. support, which will complement this framework agreement." However, the annex has not yet been made public.
The agreement does not set a timetable for ‘Israel's’ withdrawal from Lebanon. ‘Israeli’ officials have repeatedly said their forces will leave only after the Iran-backed Hezbollah is disarmed.
‘Israeli’ Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that ‘Israeli’ forces would remain in "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza "until further notice" to "protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements."
‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, according to a statement and video released by his office, "We will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is removed. As long as Hezbollah is here, armed and threatening us, we will remain here."
Trump says Iran agreed to “just about everything we need”
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran “agreed to just about everything” the United States needs, as indirect negotiations are set to continue after the funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to mediators.
Iran was “totally defeated militarily,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC.
“They have some missiles left, we could wipe them out too”
"I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need,” Trump added.
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Read more: Day 125 | Trump optimistic of US-Iran talks in Qatar
