Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran warned the United States and Israel on Thursday of a “harsh and immediate” response to any military attack during the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei scheduled on July 4.

Ali Abdollahi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's top joint military command, described Washington and Tel Aviv as Tehran's "enemies" and urged them to weigh the retaliation the armed forces would mount against any threat or act of aggression.

The funeral is scheduled to begin in Tehran and conclude on July 9 with Khamenei's burial in his birthplace of Mashhad. Additional ceremonies are planned in the city of Qom and in the cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq during the same period.

Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly 37 years, was killed on February 28 in the first hours of joint US-Israeli airstrikes. He was succeeded by his son Mojtaba, who has not appeared in public since taking office in early March.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described Mojtaba as “marked for death.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded that Tehran would act "immediately and forcefully" against any threat to the Iranian people or its leadership.