Iran has held a week of mass funeral processions for the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed along with other family members on February 28, the first day of the US and Israeli war against Iran. The funerals have featured public calls for the killing of former US President Donald Trump. During the ceremony, poet Mohammad Rasouli declared, “I swear by your blood; Trump’s murder is our responsibility.”

Khamenei’s successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, appointed 10 days after his father’s death, has not appeared in public or released any audio messages for three months. His absence was notable as his brothers stood together beside their father’s coffin.

The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour reported from Tehran that the funeral was intended to demonstrate to the Trump administration that Iran retains social resilience.

In other news, the US Men’s National Soccer Team coach Mauricio Pochettino praised a recent decision by FIFA, which was met with criticism from the Belgium team and the Royal Belgian Football Association. Additionally, the Australian Space Agency identified six mysterious “space balls” found in Queensland as likely debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere.

Separately, the US court ruling has allowed plans to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. TPS is designed to protect individuals from countries deemed unsafe due to war or natural setbacks.

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