Iran is holding a multi-day funeral for its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a show of defiance and resilience after its war with the US and Israel. Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, is there. “I’m just one dot on those numbers you’re seeing from helicopters. When I was in the mosque yesterday, it was absolutely rammed, packed, and people couldn’t get into the mosque. There were clearly more than 50,000, 60,000 there.”
Khamenei had ruled for 36 years until he was killed in the first day of airstrikes in February. After such a shocking start to the war, it seemed as though Iran was facing an existential threat. Instead, explains Robert Malley, a US special envoy for Iran during Joe Biden’s presidency, the ceasefire deal being negotiated is in Tehran’s favour.
