Day 126 of the WarFriday, July 3, 2026
Day 126 — Khamenei's State Farewell Opens in Tehran as the Regime Files Past His Coffin; His Named Heir Mojtaba Stays Hidden; Russia, China and Barzani Send Envoys; the IRGC Warns and Censors Its Own Commanders; Iran Moves to Seize a Church
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The Farewell Begins — the Regime Files Past a Coffin, the Heir Stays Hidden
Iran- A farewell ceremony for Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran, per Visegrád 24; ceremonies span several cities and he is to be buried in Mashhad. Iran's entire regime leadership showed up to the coffin — except the newly designated supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.source
- WarMonitor reports Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen at his father's funeral: he appears to remain in hiding, or — some speculate — is concealing wounds from an earlier war strike that reportedly severely injured him in a narrow miss.source
The Machine of Grief — Censored Faces, an IRGC Warning, and Israel's Barb
Iran- The IRGC declared in a funeral communiqué that any miscalculation by the enemy would be met with a decisive and more crushing response than ever, per Iran International — pairing the state mourning with a fresh deterrence threat.source
- Open Source Intel reports Iran censored the identities of several 'Axis of Resistance commanders' who came to bid farewell, deliberately leaving them undocumented over safety concerns — a sign the network fears further targeted strikes even now.source
- Israel's official Persian-language X page mocked the turnout at the funeral: 'Many came — not to mourn, but to make sure he is dead.' Exiled activist Masih Alinejad marked the moment too: 'bye bye… Six guys carrying him out in a box.'source
A Church Seized and a Nuclear Warning Behind the Funeral
Iran- Visegrád 24 reports Iran is preparing to seize Tehran's historic St. Peter Evangelical Church, part of whose property the regime already took; the move appears to be direct retaliation over the war with the US and Israel.source
- A regime National Security Commission spokesman, Ebrahim Rezaei, warned that a threat against Khamenei's successor could change Iran's nuclear doctrine — a response to Israeli defense minister Katz reportedly 'marking' Mojtaba Khamenei, per LiveIranNews.source
Foreign Delegations Arrive — Russia and China Send Their Envoys
Global- Per Iran International, the ceremony to pay respects at the coffin of Khamenei and family members killed alongside him began at Tehran's Prayer Hall, with representatives from Turkmenistan, Iraq, China and Russia in attendance alongside religious figures.source
- Representatives from Russia and China — Visegrád 24 names Dmitry Medvedev among them — joined the mourning, while Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met Ghalibaf and was set to attend the funeral, per Shin.source