This Week in Explainers: Why did the US attack Iran amid Khamenei’s funeral?

It is back to fighting; the US and Iran ceasefire crumbled. The two sides started trading strikes on Tuesday (July 7), plunging West Asia into a renewed crisis. It all started after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly struck commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Even as tensions escalate, negotiations continue behind the scenes. Diplomacy must prevail because a full-blown war will be disastrous for both sides.

The fresh attacks came as Iran held its largest funeral. Slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in the country’s holiest shrine in the city of Mashhad early on Friday, after huge crowds gathered for his funeral with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view.

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In the backdrop of rising tensions in West Asia, Donald Trump and his Nato counterparts gathered in Turkey’s Ankara for a two-day summit on Tuesday. It is here that the US president declared that the ceasefire with Iran was over.

One of the big developments from the gathering was Trump’s announcement that Washington would remove the sanctions imposed on Turkey over the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system. He stopped short of confirming whether the Erdoğan-led nation can buy the American F-35 stealth fighters. If the US agrees to the sale, Israel is not the only one who won’t be pleased.

The FIFA World Cup has turned political. Donald Trump intervened to overturn a red card handed to American striker Florain Balogun. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the US team’s ouster from the tournament as it was defeated by Belgium. That’s not all. France’s Kylian Mbappe was also targeted by racist comments by Paraguayan politician Celeste Amarilla after her country lost to Les Bleus.

In our weekly roundup of stories from the globe, we talk about all this and more.

1. The truce between Iran and the US was fragile from the beginning. But this week, something shifted. The US military struck targets in the Islamic Republic, as Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire was over. But what made the US president change his mind? Reports point to an Oval Office meeting. Here is what transpired.

Fresh intelligence on Iranian attacks against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz convinced Donald Trump that Iran was no longer committed to the ceasefire. File photo/Reuters

2. The renewed hostilities started as millions in Iran were mourning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, the first day of the war. After a six-day funeral, the cleric was buried in Mashhad. He was laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza, Iran’s holiest Shia Muslim site. We explain the significance of this holy city.

A vehicle transports the coffin of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, and coffins of his family members, on the day of their burial, in a culmination of a mass funeral, in Mashhad, Iran, July 9. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/ Handout via Reuters

3. Even as Trump continues to slam some of his Nato counterparts, one nation has reasons to be pleased – Turkey. In a big policy reversal, the US president has decided to lift sanctions on the nation, reopening the door for the purchase of F-35 jets. If Ankara gets its hands on the fighter jets, India will be concerned. After all, Turkey’s growing defence ties with Pakistan cannot be ignored.

4. China’s growing military capabilities are no secret. Yet, a missile test has raised alarm bells. The Chinese navy test-launched a long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the South Pacific recently. What’s rare is the public acknowledgement of the test. But was this more than a routine military exercise? We explain.

5. Now, let’s talk about football, as the FIFA World Cup enters its final stages. France’s Kylian Mbappe is having a sensational tournament, setting a new record of becoming the fastest player to reach 20 goals in WC history. However, off the field, the captain has to deal with racist hate.

Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla made a series of posts calling Mbappé a “brute,” a “colonised Cameroonian”, and said that as a child, he "sucked on coconuts, and the most educated creatures he ever listened to were chimpanzees”. Since then, the remarks have been deleted, but she threatened to sue Mbappe for alleged gender-based and political violence because she hit back and called her a “dispicable woman”. Who is Amarilla?

Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla attends a Senate session where she said she was 'deconstructing' herself from a former way of thinking that she now rejects, following criticism over racist remarks about France striker Kylian Mbappe, in Asuncion, Paraguay, July 8. Reuters

6. Argentina is having a great run at the World Cup. However, it has been clouded by a scandal. The FBI is investigating the Argentina Football Association’s financial operations amid allegations of money laundering and bank fraud. Federal investigators are reportedly examining sponsorship agreements, broadcasting rights, exhibition matches and other international commercial contracts linked to the federation. This story brings you all the details.

7. It was a case that sent shockwaves. In 2023, Dharmesh Patel, an Indian-origin doctor from California, drove a Tesla off a cliff with his wife, nine-year-old daughter, and four-year-old son. The four miraculously escaped. However, the radiologist was charged with three counts of attempted murder after prosecutors alleged the act was intentional. Now, three years on, has walked free. Here’s why.

Rescuers work on the destroyed Tesla sedan that was driven off the cliff in Devil's Slide in San Mateo County, California, January 2, 2023. File photo/San Mateo County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters

8. Our last story is about “Earth’s Black Box”. It is roughly the size of a bus and is made of three-inch steel. It will be placed at a disused airfield in Tasmania, Australia. But what will be its purpose? It will document the end of the world.

That’s all from us this week. Happy reading. You can find more such explainers here.