U.S.-Iran Latest: Talks pause for slain ayatollah's funeral after Trump and mediators claim progress

With the mostly indirect negotiations betwixt the U.S. and Iran entering a intermission of astatine slightest a week for the ceremonial of Iran's slain ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, immoderate cardinal questions astir the talks stay unanswered. 

Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed 2 weeks ago, some sides committed "to negotiating and achieving the last deal" to formally extremity the warfare successful a "maximum 60 days, extendable with communal consent."

But erstwhile precisely did the countdown begin, and however galore days of existent talks tin beryllium counted? 

"The Iranians look to deliberation the 60-day negotiating play started successful mid-June with the signing of the memorandum of understanding," Eric Lob, a nonresident student successful the Carnegie Middle East Program, told CBS News. "During indirect negotiations successful Doha this week, the Iranians supposedly stated that they would enforce tolls connected lipid tankers, instrumentality ships, and different commercialized vessels transiting done the Strait of Hormuz successful mid-August, aft the 60-day model ended."

The MoU was intended to wholly reopen the Strait of Hormuz to planetary shipping and extremity the warring successful Iran - and successful Lebanon - portion negotiators got down to the much contentious issues, including Iran's atomic program, during the 60 days of talks.

So far, U.S. and Iranian negotiators person engaged lone doubly since the statement was signed connected June 18 - erstwhile for nonstop talks successful Switzerland connected June 21, and this week, via mediators, for a time successful Qatar.

Neither the U.S. nor Iran person said whether lone those 2 days number against the 60 provisioned by the MoU, oregon if they are counting each 14 days since it was signed. 

It's besides unclear if the 2 sides are adjacent counting the aforesaid way, but Lob said that fixed the presumption of the MoU, which prohibit Iran from collecting immoderate fees from ships successful the strait during the negotiations, for instance, Tehran whitethorn beryllium crossing days disconnected connected the calendar, careless of what talks are really taking place.

"Unlike with the atomic issue, a condensed timeline serves Iran's interests by formalizing its power implicit the strait and reaping the fiscal benefits from it sooner," said Lob, "especially with each the economical challenges Tehran confronts."

Lebanon volition not surrender "a azygous inch" of territory to Israel, President Joseph Aoun said Thursday, defending negotiations with Israel.

"We volition not relinquish a azygous inch of Lebanese land," helium said successful a connection posted by the country's presidency connected X, "and fto judgement beryllium passed connected america done implementation, for the goals we person acceptable earlier our eyes bash not disagree from the goals of each Lebanese."

"I commend the tremendous effort exerted by the Lebanese negotiating delegation, some civilian and military, successful the American capital," helium added, referring to talks betwixt Lebanon and Israel successful Washington.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Israeli troops would stay successful Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip successful alleged information zones "until further notice."

Hezbollah has called negotiations with Israel "appeasement."

Hong Kong's flagship hose Cathay Pacific announced Thursday that it volition resume flights to the Middle East, aft the United States and mediators successful talks with Iran said that determination had been advancement successful negotiations.

Following the 2 sides' indirect discussions successful Doha connected Wednesday, President Trump, arsenic good arsenic Qatar and Pakistan, signaled that diplomacy was holding, contempt exchanges of occurrence earlier successful the week.

Cathay suspended flights to Dubai and Riyadh astatine the extremity of February aft the warfare broke out.

The hose has raised substance surcharges respective times arsenic the struggle has driven up lipid prices.

It said Thursday it would resume regular rider flights to Dubai and four-times play rider flights to Riyadh from September 1. Freighter services to Riyadh volition resume from August 1.

"Cathay volition proceed to intimately show the evolving concern successful the Middle East anterior to the resumption dates," the institution said.

CBS/AFP

Iran's main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called connected Thursday for monolithic turnout astatine Ali Khamenei's ceremonial to avenge the ultimate leader's decease successful U.S.-Israeli strikes astatine the commencement of the war.

"I invitation each the Iranian radical ... to constitute a glorious leafage successful the past of Islamic Iran done your presence" astatine the ceremonial ceremonies starting Saturday, said Ghalibaf, who is besides Iran's parliament speaker.

Commuters thrust past a elephantine billboard bearing a representation of Iran's precocious ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successful Tehran connected July 2, 2026, up of six days of ceremonial events commemorating his death.  AFP via Getty Images

"The nation's telephone for vengeance indispensable ringing successful the ears of the full world," helium added successful a statement.

Khamenei's funeral, initially delayed astatine the tallness of the war, volition instrumentality spot aft President Trump and Qatari and Pakistani mediators claimed determination had been affirmative advancement successful indirect talks this week.

The ceremonies are expected to gully betwixt 15 and 20 cardinal mourners, according to officials, which would marque it the biggest authorities ceremonial successful the country's history.

Iran "is preparing to acquisition 1 of the astir important moments successful its history," Ghalibaf said.

It remains chartless if Khamenei's lad and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen successful nationalist since becoming ultimate leader, volition beryllium present.

Representatives from astir 30 countries are expected to be the funeral, with radical pouring successful from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

CBS/AFP

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif volition be the ceremonial of the slain Iranian ultimate person Ali Khamenei this week, the South Asian nation's overseas ministry said connected Thursday.

"The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, volition spell to Iran and Turkey from 3-5 July ... helium volition spell to Iran archetypal for (the) ultimate leader's funeral," ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters.

Pakistan has been mediating betwixt the United States and Iran to extremity the determination warfare which began successful February with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed the 86-year-old Iranian ultimate person successful Tehran.

The nationalist ceremonial volition statesman connected Saturday, with his assemblage lying successful authorities astatine the colossal analyzable successful cardinal Tehran that hosts large Friday prayers, authoritative ceremonies and spiritual gatherings.

Pakistan shares heavy historical ties with Iran. The 2 stock a 560-mile borderline and taste links, with Sunni-majority Pakistan location to the world's second-largest Shia colonisation aft Iran.

Sharif's travel to Turkey would impact meetings with Turkish enactment and businesspeople, Andrabi said.  

AFP

As President Trump touts advancement successful indirect U.S.-Iran talks, erstwhile Trump nationalist information advisor H.R. McMaster expressed skepticism connected "The Takeout with Major Garrett," arguing the diplomatic propulsion is giving Iran a accidental to refill its coffers.

McMaster, a CBS News contributor, said "Iran is the 1 making the advancement successful these negotiations due to the fact that they're receiving large paychecks."

He noted that the U.S. lifted sanctions connected Iranian lipid and has floated unfreezing Iranian assets, which McMaster said could assistance Iran rebuild its subject and rearm its determination proxies.

"They're getting the infusion of currency they desperately needed to get themselves up disconnected the mat," said McMaster, who believes Mr. Trump's archetypal determination to spell to warfare with Iran was correct.

Earlier Wednesday, erstwhile asked astir reports that helium had mulled a instrumentality to warfare with Iran, the president said "I deliberation they've travel a agelong way" and expressed optimism astir Iran's compliance with the 60-day U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

McMaster argued, "The Iranians person travel a agelong mode due to the fact that they're getting everything that they wanted."

Qatar and Pakistan said Tuesday that "positive advancement was made" during indirect talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran successful Doha, Qatar's superior "regarding issues related to the memorandum of understanding" that continued the Iran warfare ceasefire.

"Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded abstracted meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators successful Doha today, with affirmative advancement made connected issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, gathering connected the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari, and Pakistan's overseas ministry, said successful a associated connection shared connected societal media. "The parties agreed to proceed discussions implicit the coming period, with the adjacent gathering to beryllium scheduled astatine the earliest imaginable clip pursuing the ceremonial processions of the erstwhile Iranian Supreme Leader." 

Vice President JD Vance said talks are going good successful Doha, but would not instrumentality a instrumentality to full-scale subject enactment disconnected the table, saying it lies successful the hands of Iran.

"I can't perpetrate to anything, due to the fact that evidently it depends connected what the Iranians are yet going to do," Vance told reporters aft speaking to Marines astatine Naval Air Station Oceana successful Virginia. "As I said up there, what I tin perpetrate to is the president's not going to nonstop our subject backmost successful unless helium has to, unless there's a intelligibly defined intent for it."

"If we've got to bash more, of course, that's benignant of up to the Iranians," helium added. "If they effort to rebuild their atomic program, if they effort to commencement shooting astatine commercialized vessels again, that's going to alteration our calculus. But close now, what the president has said is, 'Go and marque a deal, spell and negociate successful bully faith,' and that's what he's empowered america to do." 

Vance's comments besides seemed to bespeak conversations circumstantial to the Iranian atomic programme had not yet begun.

"Obviously, we're disquieted astir the atomic issue, we're going to commencement talking astir that," Vance said. "So close present the talks are going well, it's inactive beauteous early, but talks are going well."

Vance besides outlined a acquainted database of conditions that could pb the U.S. to restart subject enactment against Iran.

"If they effort to rebuild that atomic program, if they garbage to fto inspections in, if they … resume shooting commercialized vessels, which they person stopped for a fewer days, past evidently the president inactive has a batch of options connected the table," Vance said.

Three members of a four-person MH-60S Sea Hawk chopper unit were rescued astatine oversea aft an "emergency h2o landing" successful the Arabian Sea aboriginal Wednesday morning, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. 

A hunt continues for the 4th and last unit member.

There is "no indication" the helicopter, which is assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush, was changeable down by hostile action, the subject said. 

"Three of the helicopter's 4 unit members person been recovered and are successful unchangeable information aboard George H. W. Bush," U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said. "U.S. Navy assets successful the portion are presently searching for [the] different aircrewman inactive missing."

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Iranian authorities media outlets person published the docket for the ceremonial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's erstwhile ultimate person who was killed connected Feb. 28, the archetypal time of the war, successful a U.S.-Israeli strike.

Ceremonies volition instrumentality spot crossed 3 large Iranian cities, Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, arsenic good arsenic 2 important Shiite Muslim cities successful Iraq, Karbala and Najaf.

Iranian officials accidental they expect immoderate 15-20 cardinal mourners to articulation the events, which would marque it the biggest authorities ceremonial successful Iran's history.

Commemorations are expected to past for six days, opening connected July 4 with 3 days of events successful Tehran culminating with the main ceremonial procession connected July 6. The airspace supra the metropolis volition beryllium wholly closed during the period, authorities media said.

On July 7, Khamenei's assemblage volition beryllium transferred to the beatified metropolis of Qom, past onto Najaf and Karbala successful Iraq earlier the last time of commemorations connected July 9 successful Mashhad, wherever helium volition beryllium buried.