War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara is closely monitoring provocations by the Israeli government “aimed at sabotaging the agreement of the memorandum of understanding” between the US and Iran.

Erdogan says that Tel Aviv has linked its political survival with the continuation of conflicts in the region, and that Israeli forces are also continuing their “inhumane attacks” on the people of Gaza.

“The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to once again engulf our region in the smell of gunpowder and blood,” he adds. “Turkiye seeks the establishment of an environment in which all the peoples of the region, regardless of their faith, can live in peace and security.

“We are also making every effort to create such an environment. Taking this opportunity, I think it is worth emphasising the following point: no solution that does not derive strength from the contributions of countries in the region can possibly be lasting,” he adds

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Ankara’s support during Pakistan’s efforts brokering a peace agreement between the US and Iran.

“I think this is high time when Pakistan, with the great support of my very dear brother President Tayyip Erdogan, has been able to mediate peace between the United States and Iran,” he recalls while delivering an address in Istanbul.

“It wasn’t an easy task; a very uphill task,” the premier says of Islamabad’s mediation efforts.

He adds that “this mission would have been well-nigh impossible” without the “very sincere support” of Turkiye and other brotherly countries.

During a later joint press conference with Erdogan, PM Shehbaz has expressed his deep appreciation for “Turkiye’s strong and steadfast support for Pakistan’s peace efforts in the region that … have culminated in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed that Iran will not fall, in a message paying tribute to late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The great nation of Iran, with hearts filled with sorrow and wills strengthened by hope, will prove that the flag for whose continued raising the martyred leader struggled will not be allowed to fall,” he writes.

Iran has expressed gratitude to the Developing 8 (D8) countries for their solidarity during the Middle East war.

In a post by the Iranian government on X, D8 Secretary General Sohail Mahmood met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran while attending the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Araghchi praised the solidarity of the D-8 Islamic member states in condemning the military attacks against Iran,” it adds.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged the United States to stand by his country after the recent US-backed framework deal with Israel, AFP reports.

In a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump marking the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, Aoun has urged Washington to “keep always standing beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people”.

Aoun has expressed hope that Lebanon could “turn the page on wars… and open a new page of hope, peace and stability”.

As Washington and Tehran wrangle over terms for peace, the fate of devastated Gaza seems largely out of mind, AFP reports.

“Ever since the United States went to war with Iran, the whole world has forgotten Gaza and its tragedy. We no longer have anyone standing by us,” Palestinian Ahmed Jamali, 53, told AFP from the displacement camp in Gaza where he lives.

“We are weak and oppressed, and Israel is doing whatever it wants: killing, destroying and occupying Gaza, while no one in the world lifts a finger.”

“Gaza is gradually fading from international attention,” said Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

One diplomat involved in negotiations described a widespread belief among governments that “most actors see the issue as insoluble in the short to medium term”.

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The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy says “divine retribution” against the United States and Israel is “not far off”, according to the IRNA state-run news agency.

In a message, IRGC Navy chief Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei says he and his personnel “pledge to God that, by following the ideals of the martyrs, we will continue the path of the martyred leader of the Ummah with strength and steadfastness”.

“We have firm hope that divine retribution against the terrorist America and the illegitimate Zionist regime (Israel) is not far off,” he adds.

Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran, where they discussed Pakistan-Iran relations, parliamentary cooperation, and regional stability.

According to a statement issued by the Senate Secretariat’s Media Directorate, the two leaders held a comprehensive exchange of views on bilateral relations, challenges facing the Muslim Ummah, and the promotion of global peace.

Gilani conveyed heartfelt condolences to the government, parliament, and people of Iran on the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brotherly nation during this difficult time, saying that “peace, stability, and prosperity are essential for lasting development in the region.”

The Senate Chairman said that “Pakistan and Iran are bound by deep-rooted historical, religious, cultural, and fraternal ties, which should be further strengthened through enhanced cooperation.”

Tehran’s Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan says the entire province will be closed from Saturday to Tuesday due to the funeral, Al Jazeera reports.

Earlier, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told local media that the government had declared Tuesday a holiday in Tehran to facilitate the departure of mourners of the “martyred leader” from the city.

Iran’s intelligence ministry has vowed to avenge the martyrdom of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other victims of the US-Israeli war, IRNA reports.

In a statement, the ministry said justice against the perpetrators was the only way to ease the grief of the Iranian people and supporters of freedom worldwide.

It denounced the “American-Zionist enemy” for committing “the greatest criminal act and terrorist conspiracy in contemporary history”.

The ministry added that “the wounded hearts of the brave people of Iran and the freedom-seekers of the world will not be healed except through taking vengeance on the criminals responsible for this crime, and, according to the divine promise, this revenge and punishment will be fulfilled.”

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will return to its home port after a nearly two-month deployment near the Strait of Hormuz as an interim peace deal between the US and Iran eases tensions in the key waterway, Bloomberg reports.

“The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will return to its home port in Toulon, while our mine countermeasure assets and their escorts will remain deployed and ready to operate with our partners,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling targeting southern Lebanon’s Mount Basil, situated near the towns of Ramia and Beit Lif in the Bint Jbeil District.

Lebanon’s forces have dismantled four unexploded bombs they say were planted by Israeli forces in the south of the country, National News Agency (NNA) reports.

“Specialised army units dismantled four unexploded aerial bombs left behind from the Israeli aggression in the towns of Abba and Harouf (Nabatieh), Burj Shemali (Tyre), and Debbine (Marjayoun),” the Lebanese Army Command-Directorate of Orientation said.

Iranian state media IRIB says metro stations leading to Tehran’s Mosalla are “overcrowded” as people are on their way to attend the funeral of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has posted on X about attending the condolence ceremony in Tehran yesterday for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“On behalf of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I extend our deepest sympathies to our Iranian brothers and sisters during this time of grief,” he wrote.

“May Allah grant the departed eternal peace and continue to strengthen the enduring bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two nations,” the KP governor said.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has issued a strong warning against any military activity by ’“extra-regional powers” in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasising that Tehran will hold those responsible for creating tensions “fully accountable” for their actions, Press TV reports.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi said, “The Strait of Hormuz is not a theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers.”

“Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of the Strait’s security, warns against any military movement in this waterway with the utmost seriousness,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited Iran to attend the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Pakistan stands with Iran in this time of grief.

In a post on X, he said, “Paid my respects and conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, to the government and brotherly people of Iran at the funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei.”

He said that the supreme leader’s “wisdom, leadership and profound influence on Iran and the wider region will be remembered for generations”.

“To demonstrate our solidarity with the Iranian people, I was accompanied by a high-powered delegation including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, senior parliamentarians, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, as well as senior ministers and government officials,” he said.

Schools in Tehran have been opened for people to stay while on pilgrimage to attend Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral, Al Jazeera reports.

According to a report by Iran’s ISNA news agency, the country’s minister of education said that more than 5,000 schools and about 40 to 50 thousand classrooms nationwide are open to welcome pilgrims of Khamenei.

More than 10 million people, including representatives from more than 100 countries, are expected in Tehran for the funeral.

The coffin of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as those of his slain family members, has been unveiled inside a glass case before weeping mourners in Tehran, AlJazeera reports, citing video footage broadcasted on Iranian state media.

The broadcast images show thousands of grieving people gathered at the site to pay their final respects to the late leader.