NPR News: 07-04-2026 11PM EDT

Speaker 10:00

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Dale Willman· Host0:15

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Large crowds gathered in Tehran Saturday for the start of what will be six days of mourning for former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader was eighty-six years old. He and four of his family members were killed in February during US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. NPR's Hadil El-Shalchi watched the ceremonies from Istanbul.

Hadil El-Shalchi0:39

From Iranian state media, we saw massive crowds at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, which is a large prayer complex. Uh, people were viewing the casket of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which was draped with the Iranian flag, as were the caskets of his four family members who were killed. Uh, men and women wore black. They wept. Recitations from the Quran and mournful prayers echoed throughout the massive space. Uh, men beat their chests in unison, which is a tradition in Shia funerals. There were also chants of "Death to America, death to Israel." Some people carried signs that said, "Kill Trump."

Dale Willman· Host1:13

NPR's Hadil El-Shalchi reporting from Istanbul. Ukraine launched another wave of drones against Russia overnight. The attacks came as Moscow and Kyiv offered competing claims over whose forces held a key eastern Ukrainian city. NPR's Charles Maynes reports.