Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has called on the public to turn out in massive numbers for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is expected to draw millions of mourners when ceremonies begin on July 4.

The announcement comes as diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran continue in Doha. Qatari and Pakistani mediators concluded separate meetings with both sides, with Qatar’s Foreign Ministry saying the talks made positive progress on issues related to the Memorandum of Understanding reached following the Lake Lucerne Summit. The parties agreed to continue discussions, with another round of talks expected to be scheduled soon.

Speaking to U.S. servicemembers on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said American intelligence assesses that Iran is now further from developing a nuclear weapon than it has been in the past two or three decades.

Meanwhile, a U.S. official pushed back on reports that Washington had agreed to release $3 billion in frozen Iranian assets. The official told i24NEWS that no frozen assets have been or will be released unless Iran fulfills the requirements outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding. Under the agreement, any approved funds could only be used to purchase American agricultural products from U.S. farmers to help feed the Iranian people.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)