Iran MP says funeral rally was 'wake-up cry' against US and Israel

Iran’s ambassador to China said on Saturday that Tehran plans to introduce new fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while indicating that “friendly” countries would receive special treatment, CBS reported.

Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Iran is working with Oman on “new arrangements” for the strategic waterway, including service fees for passage, supervision of shipping, and environmental oversight.

Fazli said Iran would “definitely charge service fees,” though he insisted the measure should not be described as a “toll,” and added that preferential treatment would be considered for countries that “stood by us during hard times.”

Hamidreza Moghadamfar, media and cultural adviser to the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Saturday on official media “retribution” has no connection to negotiations, describing it as a “duty” and a “historical obligation” for all Iranians.

“Qisas (retribution) has nothing to do with negotiations. Retribution is an obligation and a duty upon us; it is a historic demand. All of us have a duty—the military and the people alike, young and old. This retribution is a historic matter and a duty for everyone," Moghadamfar said.

"As for the United States and Israel, since the beginning of the Revolution—47 years now—even if the 12-day war and this recent war had not happened or were not the last one, we fundamentally cannot make peace with the United States. These negotiations and understandings are not related to peace or friendship with the US Our relationship with the United States and Israel, and our opposition to them, is existential in nature," he added.

The southern route in the Strait of Hormuz remains active despite heightened tensions, according to two US officials cited by Axios on Saturday.

One official said most vessels are transiting with their electronic identification systems turned off, making them harder to track on open-source platforms. Another said Iranian forces have attempted to intimidate ships over VHF radio, while noting that traffic has increased in recent days, with around 50 vessels reportedly transiting the route.

Netanyahu ally and Israeli influencer Hananya Naftali took a jab at US President Donald Trump, responding to a viral video of Trump speaking at Mount Rushmore in which he said the US “knocked the hell out of Iran” and that it gave the country a week for funerals “because we are nice.”

In a post on X, Naftali rejected the framing, saying “You didn’t break anything apart,” adding that anyone who believes leaders must be “kind to enemies” is not fit to lead a country.

Trump ally Laura Loomer said on Saturday on X that a Russian delegation attended the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, where chants of “Kill Trump” and “Death to America” were heard during the procession.

Loomer tied the episode to broader anti-US sentiment, suggesting Russia’s presence in Iran reflected alignment with what she described as hostile messaging toward the United States.