Iran readies state funeral for slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as US agrees to halt talks for a week
Iran's government is preparing Friday for what will be a dayslong funeral for the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike in the first day of the war in February. The country said it expects millions of people out in the streets to mourn. This comes as talks between the U.S. and Iran have been put on pause.
Ex-CIA station chief reacts to Iran's latest warning on Strait of Hormuz as Trump pushes diplomacy
Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman joined "Fox & Friends First" on Friday morning to react to Iran's latest warning that oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or risk an “immediate and forceful response from the armed forces."
The full statement, released on Thursday, read: "Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels."
Hoffman said this is Iran's way of projecting power in the region, even while peace talks are in limbo during Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral.
"They want to enforce some control over their own self-designated sphere of influence. They want to make it clear to the Gulf states and the United States that they can control the Strait of Hormuz going forward - that they will have a role to play in how it's managed," Hoffman said.
At the same time, Hoffman said Iran does not want to close the Strait entirely, given that it is now selling its oil at market price.
"That revenue is important to their regime," he said, adding that he believes Iran's Revolutionary Guard will use that money to reconstitute their ballistic missiles and drones.
Iran claims agreement reached with Oman regarding Strait of Hormuz traffic based on MOU framework
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly said Friday the Islamic Republic reached an agreement with Oman regarding traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The agreement was announced during a meeting with Chinese officials, The Jerusalem Post reported. Ghalibaf said the agreement is based on Article V of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed last month by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Article V of the MOU says that Iran "will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman, to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz."
In the more immediate term, Iran agreed to make arrangements to allow the safe passage of commercial ships without charging them for 60 days following the signing of the MOU.
Commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has ebbed and flowed over the last few weeks, at times being disrupted by Iranian drone strikes and heightened security concerns.
Iran warns US, Israel ahead of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral
Iran sent a warning Thursday to the United States and Israel as it prepares for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reported.
"We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country," Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.
Funeral processions for Khamenei will begin Friday in Tehran and end July 9 with his burial in his hometown of Mashhad. Additional ceremonies are planned in Qom and Iraq between those dates.
The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization also said that temporary airspace restrictions would be in place over several cities, including Tehran and Mashhad.
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