Pickaxe Mountain, a secret nuclear site in the Zagros Mountains, shows continued construction per satellite imagery. IAEA inspectors have not been allowed to visit the facility.

The ceremonies arranged by the authorities eclipse even those held for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic. Whereas Khomeini's funeral, in 1989, lasted two days and reportedly drew 10m mourners (though some estimates put it at 2.

"The danger Kurds pose is down the road," a former U.S. official told Newsweek.

In the spring, U.S. officials suspected Israel intended to kill Iran's top negotiators and sent a warning to Tehran to take precautions.

By Andrew Mills and Elwely Elwelly DOHA/DUBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it would not meet with top U.S. envoys who flew to the region following an outbreak of hostilities, clouding the prospects for a lasting peace between the two countries.

The PDKI says six Kurdish fighters were killed in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp ambush near Piranshahr, while the Revolutionary Guards claim five Kurdish militants dead.

Everyday expenses have doubled,” one Tehran resident told NBC News.

By Amanda Stephenson and Robert Harvey CALGARY/LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Oil prices were little changed for the week as traders held on to hopes for a successful outcome from attempts to secure peace between the U.