President Trump announced Friday that the United States is granting Iran a "week off" to observe the funeral proceedings for its late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Trump made the remarks during a speech at Mount Rushmore, stating, "We knocked the hell out of Iran and they're dying to settle... We gave them a week off for a funeral, isn't that nice."
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are scheduled to reconvene in Pakistan on July 11, according to sources cited by Al Arabiya news network. These discussions are expected to address Iran's nuclear program, U.S. sanctions on Tehran, and the status of Iran's frozen assets abroad. Iran is expected to determine its delegation for these talks following the conclusion of Khamenei's state funeral.
The U.S. and Iran had previously agreed to halt military actions following a period of strikes and counterstrikes that began on June 25 when an Iranian projectile struck a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. An interim peace deal was signed on June 17, aiming to de-escalate tensions and reopen the vital oil shipping lane, with further talks intended to resolve more complex issues.
Direct talks, led by Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland, had only one round before the resumption of hostilities. Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain recently, prompting Trump to state that the U.S. "may be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," and that "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist."
The funeral ceremonies for Khamenei began Friday in Tehran with a wake and are scheduled to conclude with a burial on July 9 in his hometown of Mashhad. These events are anticipated to draw large crowds, potentially rivaling those seen during late December and January protests against economic conditions and calling for regime change. Khamenei's body had not yet been buried as of Friday, more than four months after his death on February 28 during Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on a Tehran compound that initiated the conflict in Iran. Officials had reportedly delayed the funeral due to security concerns for remaining high-ranking officials. Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has reportedly been disfigured by the strikes that killed his father, has not been seen and is believed to have left the country due to fears of being targeted.