Iran judiciary chief suggests death penalty for those responsible for Khamenei killing

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said he was a fighter before being a diplomat and that Tehran must negotiate while maintaining its “combat readiness,” in a meeting with Mohammad Fneish, a senior Hezbollah official and former Lebanese minister.

“Before I am a diplomat, I am a fighter. In the Islamic Republic, alongside diplomacy, we also have our power and combat readiness,” Ghalibaf said. “We must negotiate while preserving the spirit of fighting and readiness for struggle and martyrdom.”

Ghalibaf said there were “clear and principled lines” in the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, including support for the Islamic Republic’s allies in the “resistance front” and Lebanon.

He said Tehran had insisted before the memorandum was signed that ending the war against its allies in the “resistance front” be included in the text, adding that the Islamic Republic had never abandoned that principle.

“The enemy has realized that establishing peace in the region, Lebanon and the Middle East is not possible except through the Islamic Republic,” Ghalibaf said.

Security in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be among the topics discussed by NATO leaders at a summit in Ankara this week, CNN reported, citing a senior US official.

“I certainly believe that the Strait of Hormuz and the protection of the maritime traffic going through there is going to be a subject that comes up,” the unnamed US official said.

The official said several NATO allies had expressed willingness to contribute to maritime security efforts, but many lacked the ships or assets needed for a meaningful maritime mission.

President Donald Trump is expected to depart Monday night for the summit.

The commander of Iran’s navy said the enemy must prepare to confront “Muslim fighters” seeking justice for the blood of their dead, in remarks about the funeral of slain former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told Yemen’s Houthi-run Al-Masirah network that the “children” of Iran’s “great leader and martyred imam” had gathered to renew the pact of brotherhood they learned from him.

Irani said “resistance is no longer limited to a specific geography” and that the enemy was now facing “greater Islam and Islamic resistance.”

“The enemies today must know that they will receive a crushing blow and a firm claw that will smash their faces,” Irani said.

The US Navy suspended its search for a sailor reported missing after an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter went down in the Arabian Sea on July 1, the Navy’s 5th Fleet said.

The search lasted more than 102 hours and covered 14,000 square miles, the fleet said. Three others were wounded when the helicopter made an emergency landing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to judge the outcome of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

Asked about the memorandum and the concessions it makes to Iran, Netanyahu told Fox News: “I would say it’s not over. I would judge it when it’s over.”

“The most important thing is that we have a common goal,” he said. “And that means Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to make nuclear weapons.”