President Trump by mid-week told reporters that the "denuclearization of Iran is moving along well" and that "very good meetings" are being held in Doha - even though no direct talks have taken place, but only an exchange of messages via mediators. On Wednesday US officials told regional media that no frozen Iranian funds have been released, nor will they be until Iran complies to what's been laid out in the MoU. And so each side continues accusing the other of refusal to conform with agreed-upon terms.

Regardless, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Pakistan's foreign ministry also previously released positive assessments of where things stand: "Qatar and Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," they said in a joint statement on social media.

Apparently things are going to be 'quiet' heading into the weekend, to allow time for the mass funeral events of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Crucially the Qatar-Pakistan statement indicated, "The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader." Other sources say a diplomatic 'pause' is on for the moment, as is presumably military action.

It just so happens that Khamenei, who was targeted and killed at the very opening of Trump's 'Operation Epic Fury' in coordination with Israel, will finally be buried on the 4th of July (or at least that's when the days-long funeral ceremony will start). On the other side of the globe, Americans will at the same time be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, ironically enough in terms of timing.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has meanwhile on Thursday called for a massive turnout at the late Supreme Leader's funeral. He said "the nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world." Iran "is preparing to experience one of the most significant moments in its history," Ghalibaf emphasized.

"I invite all the Iranian people ... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence" at the funeral ceremonies starting Saturday, Ghalibaf continued. According to commentary from the NY Times:

The emblem of the funeral, shared by the official planning body, is Mr. Khamenei's closed fist alongside a slogan: "We must rise."

The ceremonies will also be an opportunity for the government to demonstrate Iran's regional influence and transnational religious ties, with plans for large-scale mourning events in Iraq, which also has a large population of Shiite Muslims and is home to Shiite militias backed by Iran.

Officials cited in CBS have said they expect the ceremonies to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, which would put it at the largest state funeral in the Islamic Republic's history. The government hopes to unify and rally the populace around the burial of a 'martyr' - at a moment American and Israeli officials have held out hope for a crumbling and fragmentation of support for Tehran leadership.