RFE
03 Jul 2026

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19:13

NATO To Reiterate At Summit Iran Must Never Have Nuclear Weapons

NATO leaders will reiterate that Iran "must never have a nuclear weapon and call on Iran to fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."

That's according to a text approved by NATO ambassadors on July 3 and reviewed by Reuters.

NATO leaders will meet at a summit in Ankara next week.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Tehran and Washington on June 17, Iran agreed to allow 60 days of toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies.

Under the interim agreement, Iran also reaffirmed that it will not "procure or develop nuclear weapons."

The sides have 60 days to reach a lasting peace deal, but several thorny issues, including the fate of Irans nuclear program, remain unresolved.

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14:51

Mixed Feelings Among Iranians As Khamenei's Body Lies In State

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

The remains of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some of his relatives lie in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on June 3.

The body of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was laid in state in Tehran on July 3 as authorities began a week of funeral processions for the slain cleric amid mixed reactions among Iranians over a man whose more than three decades in power was marked by oppression and the death of tens of thousands of Iranians through crackdowns and executions.

Foreign dignitaries began arriving in the capital early in the day ahead of official mourning ceremonies set for July 4 for Khamenei, who was killed at the age of 86 in US and Israeli air strikes on February 28.

It is unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei -- who was appointed to replace his father but has not appeared in public since his parent's death -- will attend the ceremonies.

"This goes beyond an ordinary funeral procession," Babak Dorbeiki, a UK-based political analyst, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"It serves a full political function, a legitimizing function, and it's meant to reinforce their own propaganda."

Read morehere

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12:07

As Iran Prepares Elaborate Funeral For Khamenei, Many Recall A Brutal Leader

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran's government is preparing a multiday funeral ceremony for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes in February. But many Iranians are not mourning his loss, and are instead sharing complex reactions to the death of a man who led an oppressive theocratic regime.