Khamenei’s six-day funeral expected to draw millions

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0:39Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesby. Four months after his assassination in one of the first strikes of the Israeli-US war with Iran, the funeral processions of the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have begun in Tehran. Well, the former Supreme Leader's body will lie in state in Tehran's Grand Masala before being moved to his hometown next week. His coffin is flanked by those of four other members of his family who were killed in that strike, including his one-year-old granddaughter. Thousands of people have gathered in Tehran today to pay their respects to the man who led their country for more than three decades.

1:40The leaders of Pakistan and several Central Asian states attended and senior dignitaries from several states, including Russia, India and China, were also present. The main funeral prayers will be tomorrow, with tens of thousands expected to attend. The BBC's Nawal al-Maghafi is also there and described the mood in the city. I mean, it's quite an extraordinary event. We were on the train today from the south. We came into Tehran and the train was full of mourners that have come from all over the country to Tehran to come to this funeral. And then as soon as you come out, the mood in the city has completely changed.

2:18There are billboards all over the city with his photo on them. And there's music playing across the city. Anasheed, I don't know if you can hear it now in the background, which is Islamic funeral music and Quran. And as you walk around the city, everyone's wearing black, preparing for tomorrow. And we're set to see quite a, you know, a big schedule ahead of us in the next couple of days. Tomorrow, they are taking his body across the city. And there are two prayers that are happening. And that will also happen on the Sunday. And then on Monday, they're actually moving him to Iraq. They're taking him for prayers in Najaf and Karbala, which are two of Shia Islam's holiest sites.

2:59And then after that, they bring him back to Iran, where they'll take him to Qom, which is also a very famous Shia holy site. And from there to Mashhad, where they'll finally bury him. I mean, he was killed in February. and so they have been waiting for the right moment to hold this huge event. They brought in journalists from all over the world and it's a show of power and a show of strength to the world. It's the regime's way of saying we're here to stay and we're still firmly in power. That's the BBC's Nawal El-Maghaffi in Tehran. More from her in a moment. First though, let's hear from Fahnaz Fasehi.

3:33She's the New York Times UN bureau chief and has reported on Iran from inside and outside the country for 30 years or so. Ali Khamenei was not the first supreme leader, but I asked her if he ended up being the most consequential leader of Iran since the revolution in 1979. Yes, Khomeini, you know, led a state. If the founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, led a revolution on top of the monarchy, the state of the Islamic Republic really has been defined by Ayatollah Khomeini's rule because he reigned for, ruled for over 30 years. He was instrumental in developing Iran's military program, nuclear program, missiles program, the alliances of the proxy militia that are around the region.

4:32And also, we have to say that part of his legacy for his opponents and for dissidents is that he really ruled with an iron fist. Under his rule, we had waves of protests against the government, brutal crackdowns. Just in this past January, a massacre killing, he writes organizations say, at least 7 ,000 protesters. So his legacy is mixed. His supporters see him as this symbol of the Islamic Republic's strength. and his opponents see him as a brutal dictator. Yes, as you say, he really did expand Iran's influence abroad across the region, didn't he? How is the country now after his death in terms of its influence?

5:21Well, the country, you know, the Iranian government in this funeral that it is staging, a week-long funeral, is really trying to portray a regime that survived a war with two superpowers, the United States and Israel, and a regime that has endured and it wants to project strength. But we know that the war is far from over. Negotiations are fragile with the United States and Mr. Khamenei's son who succeeded him, Mochtaba Khamenei, has been in hiding for months and it remains unclear whether he's going to show up or not. Well, I wanted to ask you about that because we've not seen him or heard his voice since this assassination.

6:10We've only had text messages from him which have been voiced by others. His wife was killed in that attack at the beginning of the war. Do we think we're going to see him? I don't think so. I think that from, you know, the signs are that, you know, that Iran's security forces are nervous about Mr. Khamenei making an appearance. You know, these funerals are going to be estimated attended by millions of people. So, you know, protecting him is going to be challenging. He didn't show up for his wife's memorial service on Wednesday. His teenage son was also killed in the attack. And also his father, you know, who he has succeeded.

6:57So in normal times, Mr. Khamenei would be leading these funerals. He would be reciting the prayer of the dead over his father's body. And he would sort of, you know, make a public appearance to his followers to say that this is really the start of my reign. but where he's just, he has been and remains to be a leader in absentia. And very briefly, I mean, some people think he may not actually be alive and it could just be the idea of him that's actually being used as a figurehead at the moment. We don't have any evidence that he's not alive. In fact, you know, my reporting and sources in the Iranian government and also American officials that we talked to say that Mr.

7:43Khamenei is alive, although he's been gravely injured. Part of the reason we heard he hasn't made a public appearance and you haven't heard his voice is because he sustained severe burns to his face, his vocal cords have been damaged, and, you know, he's had multiple surgeries on his legs. So he was waiting to recover before he shows up. But, you know, now you have to think, like, you know, when is that moment going to come? When is, you know, Iran security services going to feel like the situation is stable enough and that the threat of an assassination has been removed for him to show his face?

8:22That's Farnas Fasihi there from the New York Times. Well, we can hear more from our correspondent in Tehran now, Nawal al-Maghafi. And obviously, this funeral was delayed by the war that's been going on between the US, Israel and Iran over the past four months. The fragile ceasefire currently in place has allowed the funeral to take place and it's also given Nawal the chance to get out of the capital, to travel to the south of the country. She's been to the southern Iranian port of Banda Abbas to check up on the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has obviously proven to be Iran's key bargaining chip in all of this.

8:58So how are Iranians at the heart of this conflict viewing this uncertain peace? 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 the stifling heat is overwhelming. As we sail further out to sea, we find dozens of boats anchored, waiting for permission to move. We are right at the heart of the Strait of Hormuz and behind me is an international ship that's been captured by the Iranians. It's easy to forget how vital these ships are for day-to-day life. They're carrying fuel, they're carrying fertilizer. And when they're stopped, prices go up for all of us.

9:40In the last few months, this waterway has become a bottleneck and a crucial weapon for Iran. We're in the car driving across Bandar Abbas City on our way to the mayor's office. I want to speak to him about what he thinks about this war and about the ceasefire and its fragility. We arrive at a government complex and meet Mehdi Nobani in his office. He's been the city's mayor since 2021. There are many in Israel and in Washington who say this war has been a success. They've killed your supreme leader. They've killed multiple military commanders. They've attacked military sites, weapons depots, radar sites.

10:20What would you say to that? Not at all. Iran has been successful because Israel and the U.S. haven't reached their goals. If the ceasefire breaks down, Iran will close the strait for sure. As that fragile ceasefire continues to hold, life carries on as normal. We're heading out to a local market. The alleyways are lined with produce and motorbikes weave through the crowd. I'm just walking around the market in the heart of Bander Abbas and it is bustling with people. It's quite late in the evening, around 8pm, and it's packed. People are buying fruits, they're buying cherries and grapes, which are quite popular here.

11:07There are shops that are selling sunglasses, selling toys, and each one of them is quite busy. Because the weather here is scorching hot, and so the day really starts at night. And it's made me think that Bandar Abbas is always seen through the lens of its strategic importance, through the lens of the Strait of Hormuz and the impact it has on the global economy. But we very rarely see it through the eyes of its people. They've had no say in this war, and yet they're the ones that have had to endure it. And so it's very interesting just walking around and speaking to people about the impact it's had on them and how it's affected their lives.

11:48We meet two women, Fatima and Mesoume, who are selling fruit from their stalls. Most are still too afraid to speak, scared of the repercussions. Fatima has begun selling peaches once again. Her son lost his job during the war. Her family now relies on what she alone can bring home.

12:11We didn't want a war. Trump wanted a war. He attacked us unexpectedly. We didn't want this.

12:27The rhythm of the market has returned, but war is still the topic of conversation. Nearby, 40-year-old Masumi is listening and wants to join in.

12:42Everywhere is a problem. It causes a lot of economic issues, but that's war. Everyone needs to get used to it. We need to be patient.

13:00Standing amongst the people of Bandar Abbas, it becomes clear that this city's story can't be told through the lens of geopolitics. Behind every calculation about global trade is a family whose life hangs in the balance. The BBC's Nawal El-Maghafi reporting from Bandar Abbas and on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service. And that's a restriction applied to all international media organisations operating in Iran.

13:36Coming up later on the programme, the UN Human Rights Chief Volga Turk tells us that a catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan and the world must act now to prevent it. This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world. Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks with ideas on how to prevent atrocity crimes in El Abed and in other places in Kordofan. More on that to come in about 15 minutes. Our other headlines this hour. The African Union has called for an emergency meeting after the United States said it would stop funding the UN military mission against al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, and two Romanian men have been jailed here in Britain for stabbing a journalist on behalf of the Iranian government.

14:37This is Rebecca Kesby with NewsHour live from the BBC. Next to a rather disturbing story from Pakistan, authorities there are saying they're investigating a group of people suspected of smuggling human placenta from hospitals to make anti-aging injections. Just to clarify, placenta is an organ that develops during pregnancy to feed the growing foetus with nutrients and oxygen. A number of people have already been arrested in this case. And Barisan Itharajan is our South Asia expert. So what do we know so far? Police in Islamabad, they carried out a raid a few days ago and arrested five people, including three Chinese nationals, on the suspicion of that they were allegedly trying to smuggle the human placenta.

15:25And when they raided the house, they found more than 200 kilograms of this placenta. They were drying them up. And when the police asked them what it was for, then they claimed it was a sheep's placenta. But later on following up an investigation, they found out that it was a human placenta. And now they're investigating further whether it was all procured only in hospitals in Islamabad or in Rawalpindi or is there any wider operation. And according to the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan, these people, the suspects were trying to export it to Southeast Asia for these anti-aging injections.

16:06and these pleasantries were bought only for about$3 when it is processed, according to police, that it can even, the anti-aging injections can go up to$2 ,500. Of course, there is no scientific evidence, there is no proper study whether it can be used for these anti-aging injections. Yeah, and surely this is illegal, isn't it, to take any kind of medical waste or parts from hospitals and I guess the assumption is the women delivering the babies were totally unaware of this. It's possible because according to the rules, they should be disposed of. The semen placenta should be properly disposed of by the hospital.

16:43And there are agencies which do this work. And that is why the Pakistani authorities are trying to find out whether other hospitals were also involved. And it cannot be only five people or the five suspects. So there is the disposal companies or hospital authorities or even customs people possibly involved. That is the angle they're looking at how they were able to do this for all these months. And also one of these federal investigative officials told the BBC Woodhous service in Islamabad. This was the first time they were coming across this smuggling of these human organs like a placenta, because previously they had dealt with issues like liver and kidney.

17:25So even they themselves were surprised that this was happening. So it could not have happened without the authorities or hospital authorities knowing because it is coming out of the hospitals. And that carries a jail term of up to 10 years. That's our South Asia expert, Ambarasan Ethirajan. Now, an Interpol red notice has been issued for a Ukrainian woman who police have named as the main suspect in a bomb attack on an apartment building in Monaco on Monday evening. Anastasia Berezovska is 39 and the authorities say she may be on her way to Germany as it's thought she speaks the language. Police say that the perpetrator was disguised as a man when leaving a package in the hallway of a building which then exploded, injuring three people.

18:12Well, to get more details, I've been speaking to Cassandra Tanti. She's editor-in-chief of Monaco Life, a digital news service there, and she began with more details on that crime. Today we had the press conference and it was the first time that we'd actually seen an image of the suspect. The Monaco authorities were able to identify this woman who they actually thought was a man. The investigation changed when they spoke to a member of the public who told them that it actually was a woman, not a man. And we do know that she did some reconnaissance stakeouts of the area in the days leading up to the attack.

18:51For two of those visits, she was dressed as a man in the bucket hat in the visuals that we've all seen. But there was one day that she actually was dressed as a woman. And that is how police were able to put the two together and to identify her. She apparently has quite an identifying tattoo on her arm as a snake. And from there, they were able to pinpoint what happened. and basically she had staked out the place and then she watched them go to dinner. She was waiting for them when they returned. She watched them approach the residence building. She took the explosive out of her bag. She placed it in the residence entranceway and then left.

19:30And then you can see, as the police say, her turning around watching the victims enter the residence building and then she detonated the bomb remotely. Right. So that's the suspect. What do we know of the victims? I mean, luckily, nobody was killed, but they were injured, including a child. Is it understood that they were the targets of this? Yeah, look, the Monaco police are really reluctant to name the victims. I'm not particularly sure why, because it is known internationally. So we know that it was Vadim, who is the Ukrainian businessman. It was his long term partner, and it was his 13 year old son.

20:09And this was confirmed to me personally by the lawyer of the family who is based here in Monaco. So I do believe those details to be correct. Right. So this is Vadim Yemoleev, who's 58, I think, a very wealthy real estate developer, I think originally from Ukraine as well, but he relinquished his Ukrainian citizenship a few years ago. Do we know any details on that? Yeah, he relinquished his Ukrainian citizenship and actually obtained a Cypriot citizenship and then obtained a Monaco residency in 2021. So he's been a resident here for a few years. Right. So, I mean, I guess the big mystery is the motive to all of this, because obviously two people involved, it seems, are from a Ukrainian background.

20:55And obviously people will be sensitive to the fact that the war is on. And And so maybe leaping to conclusions about whether that was a reason. But I guess we don't really know, do we, at this point? It's remarkable. Everybody's jumping to conclusions. There's also speculation that it was his son who was involved in some cryptocurrency scam here in Europe. Maybe it was related to him. But the lawyer of the family made it very clear to me that there is no clear motive at this stage. We don't know what happened. What's all this doing to the local mood, though? because Monaco's got a reputation of being a really safe location.

21:33This must have shocked local people. Look, it did. And it just goes to show that Monaco is not immune from isolated incidences like this. It is completely unprecedented. We've never had a bombing attack like this. But life goes on. I mean, we have the Monaco jumping here at the moment. I don't think anybody necessarily feels unsafe. It wasn't an attack on the people. It wasn't a terrorist attack. It was an attack on an individual. So I think everybody is able to put it in context, but the authorities have responded immediately. There was press conferences held to keep the public informed. And just in terms of those that were injured, Vadim Yomaleev and his family, do we know about their injuries or whether they can make a full recovery?

22:19Any details on that? Again, the police are reluctant to confirm exactly what situation each family member is in, but we do know one is still in a critical condition. We do think that is Vadim. Again, it's speculation at this stage because no one is willing to actually confirm any of this. And the other two are in stable conditions, but from people I've spoken to, we do believe that people have lost limbs and there's a 13-year-old child involved, which is just absolutely shocking. Yeah, and the deputy prosecutor of Monaco is saying that investigations are still going on because there could be possible accomplices to this.

22:58Yeah, well, they were adamant in the press conference that they don't think this was a one-person job, but they do believe that this was a coordinated attack and that there was more than this lady Anastasia involved. So that is their next line of questioning. And obviously police here are pursuing the investigation as to who actually coordinated this attack. That's Cassandra Tandy, the editor-in-chief of Monaco Life on that Interpol Red Notice put out on the chief suspect in that bombing in Monaco.

23:50in China, because it actually wasn't inevitable. What we're talking about is the world's largest communist nation is at the beating heart of the capitalist system. For more, listen to The Global Story on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

24:13Welcome back to NewsHour. NASA has launched a robotic mission to prevent one of its telescopes from burning up in the atmosphere. Gravity is gradually pulling the Swift Observatory telescope towards Earth. But in a mission lasting several months, a rescue spacecraft will be released from a jet rather than launched from the ground. But how difficult is it to correct the direction of a falling telescope? Regine Caputo is the project scientist from the Swift Observatory. She's been speaking to NewsHour's Paul Henley. This is one of the big challenges, is approaching a spacecraft that's traveling at thousands of miles per hour in orbit with another spacecraft and trying to gently attach to it and then raise it up to a higher orbit.

25:00How will it work? What are the nuts and bolts? Well, so the spacecraft is called Link, and it was built by Catalyst Space, an American company. and it's basically a propulsion system and it has on it three arms which will grab the back of the Swift Observatory, attach itself and then lift it up in a manoeuvre that's really never been performed before. This observatory must really be worth saving. It's 20 years old, isn't it? Yes, yes. But we all know that things, you know, get better with age. As we have been doing more science with the Swift Observatory, we've been uncovering some really tremendous, amazing science.

25:51And it's a very important and unique part of the NASA fleet. Tell us why. So it observes the most explosive objects in the universe. And these are very transient, they're very fast events. They're called gamma ray bursts. And when it detects them, it can also autonomously slew to point the two other telescopes to be able to characterize and follow up what happened. And so they're really a great diagnostic for these really, really cool astronomical events. Do all such objects in space have a shelf life because they're gradually pulled in towards the Earth? So all things, well, everything does have a shelf life, but in particular, satellites in low Earth orbit are particularly, this is part of their lifespan, is that they will re-enter orbit eventually.