Mourners gather at the Imam Khamenei Grand Mosalla prayer complex in Tehran for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, July 6, 2026

UPDATE 2137 GMT:

US Central Command says American forces “have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway”.

CENTCOM said the strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz since Monday Monday.

“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the US military said.

Explosions have been reported near the port of Sirik in southern Iran, where six projectiles hit the area of Taheroui pier; near the port of Bandar Abbas; and on Qeshm Island.

A US official said the attacks targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites.

UPDATE 1937 GMT:

The Trump Administration is revoking a sanctions waiver on the sale of Iranian oil, says a US official.

The official cited “wholly unacceptable” attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

The Trump camp had issued the waivers through August 21 as it engaged in negotiations with Iran to end the US-Israel War.

UPDATE 1355 GMT:

A tanker has been struck by a drone in the Strait of Hormuz, the third incident since Monday night.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker is believed to have suffered “structural damage”. There are no casualties or environmental impact.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced targeting of the Al Rekayat tanker on Monday night as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the attack constituted an “aggression against the security and safety of international navigation, and the security of global energy supplies”. He added that it was “a grave and explicit violation of the provisions of international law, especially the rules that guarantee freedom of maritime navigation and safe passage in international straits”.

He added, “We hold [Iran] fully legally responsible for this aggression and any damages and repercussions that may result from it.”

UPDATE 0613 GMT:

A total of 108 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz between Friday and Sunday, reports the data analyst Kpler.

Before the US-Israel War on Iran, traffic was around 135 ships per day.

Traffic was “slightly weighted east to west and remained spread across predominantly Iranian and Omani routes”. However, there were some crossings on International Maritime Organisation and “Dark/Unknown routes”, indicating “fragmented routing patterns and cautious behavior”.

Kpler noted that the “sizeable Dark/Unknown Route share” and attacks on shipping “suggest that security, routing, and insurance risks remain elevated”.

UPDATE 0601 GMT:

Iranian State TV has confirmed that a liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings.

A US official said the Iranians significantly damaged two commercial ships overnight. There were no casualties.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center earlier said that a tanker was hit and set afire by an unknown projectile on its port side. The ship was traveling southbound about 8 nautical miles east of Oman’s Limah.

One of the attacked vessels is reportedly the Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker owned and managed by Nakilat, the shipping arm of Qatar’s LNG industry. The ship was hit on the port side, at the top of the engine room.

The Al Rekayyat was at the mouth of the Strait in the Gulf of Oman.

UPDATE, JULY 7:

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told the Trump camp, “Negotiations on final deal will not commence if threats continue. Honor your signature.”

On Monday, Donald Trump blustered that he would “finish the job” if an agreement is not reached to end the US war.

UPDATE 1116 GMT:

Four people, including three women, have been killed by an Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon.

A school principal, her mother, a foreign female domestic worker, and a male Syrian worker were slain when an Israeli drone targeted their car as they returned from inspecting their family home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

The Israel Defense Forces said the victims “posed a threat to IDF soldiers” so were targeted by the Israeli Air Force.

The toll in Lebanon is now 4,319 killed and more than 12,203 people wounded from Israeli attacks since March 2.

Israeli forces also bombed homes in the town of Qounine in the Bint Jbeil district.

UPDATE 1035 GMT:

Ten Japan-linked vessels have begun leaving the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded for months by the US-Israel War.

The ships include six oil tankers carrying a total 12 million barrels of crude oil; two chemical tankers; a vehicle carrier; and a container ship.

The oil cargo, loaded between late February and early March, includes crude from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

Most of the vessels are managed by Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines.

South Korean refiner S-Oil said the VLCC Long Wind, carrying crude for its refinery, left Hormuz on Saturday.

The tanker loaded 2 million barrels of Saudi crude in early March and is expected to reach Onsan, South Korea, on July 26.

UPDATE 0934 GMT:

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said, amid funeral procession Iran’s assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that he was killed for leading a “plan to destroy” Israel.

Katz, who has said Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba should be targeted, again threatened to “eliminate” any Iranian leader.

UPDATE 0925 GMT:

Lebanese Christians have rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that they have asked to join Israel or obtain Israeli citizenship.

Netanyahu made the declaration on Sunday about residents of Christian border villages.

Maroun el-Khouli, head of Lebanon’s General Confederation of Labour Unions, said Netanyahu’s remarks are “false” and aimed at stirring up tensions between Christians and Shia Muslims. He added that Israel is trying to weaken Lebanese internal unity after failing to achieve its military objectives.

Shadi Massaad, former head of Lebanon’s Central Fund for the Displaced, said Israeli claims don’t represent the residents of Christian border towns such as Rmeish, Ain Ebel, Debel, and Alma ash-Shaab.

“Lebanon will remain our only homeland, and the Lebanese state will remain our legitimate authority,” Massaad said. Christian villages won’t allow their names to be used in political narratives “that have nothing to do with the truth”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, assassinated on the first day of the US-Israel War on February 28, have begun in Tehran.

Mourners are carrying red banners and flags with slogans such as “Ya Latharat al-Hussein” (O Avengers of Hussein) and the newly-coined “Ya Latharat al-Khamenei” (O Avengers of Khamenei).

The slogans for retribution link Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killing at Karbala in modern-day Iran in 680 AD, with Khamenei.

The week-long ceremonies for Khamenei, who was 86, began last Friday. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands — perhaps millions gathered in Iran’s capital — as the Supreme Leader’s coffin lay in a packed prayer hall at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.

Amid the funeral prayers for Khamenei and four other family members, among dozens of officials and commanders slain in the bombing, mourners called for the killing of Donald Trump.

Poet Mohammad Rasouli said in his recitation:

From now on the shroud is our garment. I swear by your blood; Trump’s murder is our responsibility.

Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive? The world is no longer a good place for Trump. Why should we not kill the man who killed our imam? It would be a disgrace if we did not.

The Supreme Leader’s successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is not attending the ceremonies. Iranian officials cited security concerns amid Israeli threats to assassinate him as well. He also did not attend his wife’s funeral last Thursday.

Khamenei’s other sons Mustafa, Massoud, and Meysam stood beside their father’s coffin.

Donald Trump reacted to the crowd with surprise: “I thought they hated him.” He tried to reconcile the images with his assertions that all Iranians want to overthrow the regime, “Perhaps they are fake tears.”

UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 131 — Funeral Procession for Iran’s Assassinated Supreme Leader