Next US-Iran talks due after Khamenei's funeral despite differences

Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East conflict are set to resume after the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with mediators saying the next round of indirect US-Iran talks will follow the mourning period.

Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement that the sides agreed to keep talking, "with the next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Thursday officials from more than 100 countries will attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran's late supreme leader, in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.

Baghaei said the foreign guests would include heads of state, parliament speakers, foreign ministers, governments' special envoys as well as a large number of personalities and popular groups.

He noted that the tribute and farewell ceremonies will begin in the capital Tehran on Friday morning with the participation of personalities and popular groups, and will continue in the afternoon with the presence of high-ranking foreign officials and political figures.

Iranian authorities have announced public closures in Tehran from Saturday to Tuesday for the holding of the ceremonies. The Iranian administration has also declared Thursday a day of national mourning.

Ali Khamenei was killed in a US and Israeli strike in Tehran on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader in March.

An Iranian military commander warned the US and Israel on Thursday against any attack on Iran as it prepares for the state funeral.

Also on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran are moving forward, claiming that he believes Tehran has agreed to "just about everything we need" in an interview with CNBC.

However, the differences between the US and Iran still exist in multiple issues and three of them stood out, respectively the control of the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire in Lebanon and the disposal of Iran's frozen funds.

Under the latest US-proposed security arrangement for Lebanon, Israel is neither required to immediately withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon nor fully restrain from continuing its military strikes.

Iran therefore argues that these provisions have substantially undermined the very foundation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU).

And on the issue of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the US continues to promote alternative shipping routes. Iran, however, reiterated in Doha that any navigational arrangement must be premised on Iran's authority over the management of the strait and explicitly rejected any parallel shipping lanes established without its authorization.

On the issue of unfreezing Iranian assets, Iran has called for a phased approach that would make the released funds "effectively accessible" and insisted that they be transferred to the Central Bank of Iran rather than remain in restricted accounts.

The United States, meanwhile, has maintained its existing position by linking asset releases to Iran's compliance, prioritizing humanitarian use of the funds and adopting a phased release mechanism.

Analysts believed the difference in those three issues have prevented the future US-Iran negotiations from truly moving into the deeper stages.

Li Zixin, assistant research fellow at China Institute of International Studies, said the indirect Doha talks between US and Iran showed Iran's priority is not to engage in technical negotiations, but rather to follow up on the implementation of the preliminary provisions set out in the MoU, in an interview with China Media Group. 

In effect, Iran has positioned itself as the supervising party, while the United States is expected to fulfill its commitments, Li said.

(With input from agencies)