Iran readies state funeral for slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as US agrees to halt talks for a week

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that his country’s sovereignty must be respected as Israel continues fighting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed proxy group, in southern Lebanon.

In a statement reported by Lebanese state media, Aoun said the framework agreement he signed alongside Israel late last month "does not legitimize the continued Israeli occupation of Lebanon, but rather provides for enabling the Lebanese Army to extend its authority over the entire Lebanese territory."

The agreement, which included the United States, explicitly said that Lebanon and Israel now intend to "formally conclude any state of war between them."

However, the document also states that the Lebanese armed forces should only regain control over all its territory "pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure."

On Tuesday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF will remain in Lebanon "as long as the Hezbollah terrorist organization has not been disarmed throughout Lebanon and the safety of the residents of the north has not been guaranteed," according to the Jerusalem Post.

On June 28, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had destroyed an underground complex controlled by Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon.

The facility "was constructed using technology and expertise provided by the Iranian terror regime," the IDF said. "The tunnel route was 200+ meters long and 25+ meters deep. Inside, the soldiers located hundreds of weapons and 4 launch shafts directed toward Israel."

U.S. Marine combat veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" on Friday morning that a long term peace deal "is not going to happen overnight," praising President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict so far.

Meyer, who won the Medal of Honor in 2009 for his service in Afghanistan, also stressed that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will take time.

"This is going to be a journey. This is not going to happen overnight," Meyer said. "At least we have a president in there who's looking to get a deal and not to get a war. I think everything he's doing is incredible."

"Three months ago, Iran was running around, they were boasting that they had nuclear advances and their proxies. Right now, their navy is at the bottom of the ocean. They have three layers of leadership that's gone. They're about to sit here and bury their supreme leader, who had been in there forever and who is one of the most evil men on the planet," he said. "So I think we're moving to a good spot."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for 37 years and was killed in an airstrike on February 28 during Operation Epic Fury.

Meyer also claimed the U.S. is controlling the Strait of Hormuz and can shut it down at any time.

On Thursday, Iran warned oil tankers traveling through the narrow waterway must use its approved routes or risk an “immediate and forceful response" from its armed forces.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly said Friday the Islamic Republic reached an agreement with Oman regarding traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The agreement was announced during a meeting with Chinese officials, The Jerusalem Post reported. Ghalibaf said the agreement is based on Article V of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed last month by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Article V of the MOU says that Iran "will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman, to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz."

In the more immediate term, Iran agreed to make arrangements to allow the safe passage of commercial ships without charging them for 60 days following the signing of the MOU.

Commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has ebbed and flowed over the last few weeks, at times being disrupted by Iranian drone strikes and heightened security concerns.

Iran sent a warning Thursday to the United States and Israel as it prepares for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reported.

"We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country," Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.

Funeral processions for Khamenei will begin Friday in Tehran and end July 9 with his burial in his hometown of Mashhad. Additional ceremonies are planned in Qom and Iraq between those dates.

The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization also said that temporary airspace restrictions would be in place over several cities, including Tehran and Mashhad.