Iran prepares 'funeral of century' for late Supreme leader

**Celia Hatton** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatin, and at 15 Hours GMT on Friday, the 3rd of July, these are our main stories. A week-long funeral begins for Iran's late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The UN warns of a potential catastrophe in Sudan as paramilitary forces surround a city and prepare to attack. Police hunt for the suspect behind a parcel bomb attack in Monaco. Now believed to be a woman disguising herself as a man.
Also in this podcast, why taking maternity leave as a town mayor is highly controversial in Japan.

**Shoko Kota** (0:44)
There were those who said, it's inappropriate for me to get pregnant and undergo childbirth while serving this limited term in office.

**Celia Hatton** (0:57)
First, it's being described as the funeral of the century by Iran's state media, the long delayed mourning rituals marking the death of the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran in February, when powerful US and Israeli strikes targeted his compound. The Ayatollah's flag-draped coffin is lying at the Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran, where there have been extended prayers.
Iran's president has paid his respects, along with representatives from Pakistan, Russia, China and India, alongside Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. Days of ceremonies and processions are planned in cities across Iran and Iraq, culminating in the Ayatollah's burial in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday of next week. The Iranian government is expecting millions of mourners to attend, as I heard from Tarana Fatalian from BBC Persian.

**Tarana Fatalian** (2:08)
We'll have to see how many people will turn up, but the Islamic Republic is certainly planning for a very grand funeral procession. They started slightly earlier than they had previously announced. From what I've seen from the pictures, they have put tents across the country. I've seen in one of the grand parks of Tehran, they've put about a thousand tents. Portable looms everywhere. There are announcements about Wi-Fi and commute and all these things to make life a bit easier for people who want to attend. It is certainly a question, though, how many people will attend, because as we know, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was loved by some, but also hated by many. And many people remember him as the big dictator of Tehran. And some people were even happy when he died. So we'll really have to see what is going to happen in the coming days.

**Celia Hatton** (3:10)
So it's an event that's playing out inside of Ram. People around the world are going to be watching what takes place. It's more than just a funeral, isn't it? What message is it showing to the world?

**Tarana Fatalian** (3:22)
Well, the Islamic Republic is in a very difficult position right now. After the war, after the protests that thousands were killed.
It seems like it's a message that the Islamic Republic is still standing. It still has its own followers, and that's why it's very important to see how many people will turn up. That is a testimony to show how popular the Islamic Republic is among its people, and that's why it's very important for it to have many people show up.

**Celia Hatton** (3:57)
Another big question, do you think we're going to be seeing images of the current Supreme Leader, the successor to the late Supreme Leader, his son?

**Tarana Fatalian** (4:06)
That is a question asked by many right now, and everyone thought that by now, it's been about four months since the death of Ali Khamenei, and his son, the successor, Morsh Abou Khamenei has not been seen or heard. We only have seen written messages from him. So there has been questions about how badly he was injured, and there has been rumors about him. So it is a very important question. Everyone thought that he would be showing his face by now, and today he hasn't. So we'll have to see.

**Celia Hatton** (4:40)
Tarana Fatalian from BBC Persian. Well, the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran may be holding for now, but the Strait of Hormuz is still not running as it was before the war began. Control over shipping through the Strait has proven to be Iran's key bargaining chip to end US and Israeli strikes in Iran, and bring Washington to the negotiating table. Our Senior International Investigations Correspondent, Nawal al-Maghafi, has traveled to the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The BBC is the first international broadcaster to report from the Strait itself.
Nawal has been seeing how Iranians at the heart of this crisis are living through that uncertain peace.

**Nawal Al-Maghafi** (5:24)
We're on a fishing boat off the southern coast of Iran, heading out into the Strait of Hormuz. It's early in the morning and already this stifling heat is overwhelming.