Once again, the Strait of Hormuz is at the centre of the latest escalation in the war between Iran, the United States and their allies, reports Al Jazeera’s media watchdog The Listening Post.
The ceasefire collapsed just days after millions of Iranians took to the streets last week to pay homage to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hundreds of foreign reporters and social media influencers were granted rare access to Iran to cover the funeral, signalling just how carefully Tehran has been calibrating its media messaging.
- READ MORE: How Iran used Ali Khamenei’s funeral as a political and diplomatic tool
- Tehran teemed with Khamenei mourners, but divisions – and demands for change – remain
- Other war on Iran reports
Listening Post presenter Richard Gizbert says what began as a week of mourning in Iran has “turned into the latest flare-up in the war in the Middle East with US President Donald Trump effectively calling the ceasefire dead”.
His programme explores the spectacle and symbolism of Khamenei’s funeral and how coverage of the supreme leader’s funeral exposed the limits of familiar Western narratives about Iran.
Contributors:
HA Hellyer – senior fellow, Royal United Services Institute
Samira Mohyeddin – host, On The Line Media
Negar Mortazavi – host, The Iran Podcast
Alex Vatanka – senior fellow, Middle East Institute
Khamenei’s funeral Video: AJ The Listening Post
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This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
Pacific Media Watch | Radio Free (2026-07-14T19:21:25+00:00) How Tehran turned Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral into a media event. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/07/14/how-tehran-turned-ayatollah-khameneis-funeral-into-a-media-event-2/
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