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Medvedev at Khamenei funeral
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev will attend the ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Friday, the Kremlin confirmed on Thursday.
“Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev will attend the ceremony on Friday”
The Al Jazeera report says Khamenei was killed aged 86 in a joint United States-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28, the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Al Jazeera adds that the commemoration will begin in Tehran on Friday and run for seven days, with funeral processions moving southwards towards the Iranian city of Qom on Monday and Tuesday.
The same Al Jazeera account says an official reception will be held at Najaf International Airport in Iraq on Wednesday, followed by public processions in Najaf and Karbala.
Al Jazeera also states that the body will then return to Iran for the final burial ceremony at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Friday, where Khamenei was born.
Ceasefire support and oil
The BBC describes broad global support for a US-Iran ceasefire, saying Britain and Russia also voiced their support alongside Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman.
In the BBC account, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, wrote that the ceasefire shows that wisdom and prudence have prevailed, but warned that cheap oil would not be on offer.
The BBC says President Donald Trump stated that if Iran opens the vital shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, he would suspend the bombing, while Abbas Araghchi said that if attacks stop they would agree to the ceasefire.
The BBC also reports that global oil prices fell sharply after the ceasefire announcement and stock markets surged, with Brent crude dipping below $100 a barrel for the first time in weeks.
The BBC further notes that about 90 percent of the oil and gas passing through the Strait of Hormuz goes to Asian nations, making the economic relief from lower oil prices likely to be greater for Asian countries.
Russia-Iran ties and Medvedev
Mehr News Agency reports that Iranian president Pezeshkian met in Tehran on Friday with Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Dmitry Medvedev.
“Pezeshkian called for accelerating the implementation of strategic agreements between Tehran and Moscow”
Mehr News Agency says Pezeshkian praised Russia’s support during the meeting and called for accelerating the implementation of strategic agreements between Tehran and Moscow, particularly in the economic, transport and regional sectors.
Mehr News Agency quotes Medvedev condemning recent military attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran as violating the United Nations Charter, international law and humanitarian law, while posing a threat to regional and global peace and stability.
The same Mehr News Agency report says Medvedev reaffirmed Moscow's commitment to fully implementing the Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and said Russia intends to expand cooperation across all areas of mutual interest.
Mehr News Agency adds that Medvedev identified the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS as key platforms for cooperation and said Russia would continue supporting Iran's legitimate rights and interests in international forums.
