Iran begins six-day funeral for slain supreme leader amid show of defiance

Iran has begun a six-day funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack in February. First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref, the lead funeral organizer, described the ceremony as "the most important event of this century" and the most attended since the 1979 revolution. Starting Saturday in Tehran and ending Thursday in Mashhad, the funeral aims to convey resilience and national cohesion. At the request of Iraqi politicians, Khamenei's body will also be carried through the Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq.

Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was severely injured in the same strike that killed his father, wife, and 14-month-old daughter, is not expected to appear. He has only issued written statements, distancing himself from ceasefire negotiations but permitting them to continue. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, threatened to kill him.

Less than a week before a NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump said it is "ridiculous" for the US to maintain its current one-sided support for NATO. On his Truth Social platform, he wrote that the relationship is not reciprocal and allies "were not there for us." Trump has long criticized European countries for insufficient defense spending; NATO leaders agreed last year to boost spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Meanwhile, the FBI has ordered 260 staffers to Georgia to assist with an investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County. A memo obtained by the Associated Press describes a "surge" of investigative analysts and specialists for this "priority investigation." In January, FBI agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and documents, although the vote was counted three times, each affirming Joe Biden's win. The Justice Department has previously said it is investigating "irregularities" during the 2020 election in the county.