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Thai King's Daughter Remains Unconscious Weeks after Collapsing

Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets royalists, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, November 1, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets royalists, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, November 1, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
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Thai King's Daughter Remains Unconscious Weeks after Collapsing

Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets royalists, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, November 1, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets royalists, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, November 1, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha remained unconscious more than three weeks after collapsing due to a heart problem, a palace statement said in an update on the health of the 44-year-old potential heir to the throne.

The eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn lost consciousness on Dec. 15 due to severe heart arrhythmia resulting from inflammation following a mycoplasma infection, according to a statement issued by the palace late on Saturday.

The princess's "overall condition is that she remains unconscious," Reuters quoted the palace as saying.

"Doctors continue to provide medicine and use equipment to support the functions of the heart, lung and kidney as well as using antibiotics while monitoring her condition closely," it said.

Princess Bajarakitiyabha fell ill while preparing her dogs for a competition in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, where she was initially treated before being taken by helicopter to Bangkok.

She is one of three children of King Vajiralongkorn who have formal titles, making her eligible for the throne under a palace succession law and the country's constitution.

The king has yet to formally designate an heir and there has been no official discussion on the prospect of the princess taking the throne.

Princess Bajarakitiyabha, a trained lawyer with master and doctorate degrees from Cornell University, has served as Thai ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia and in roles with the Attorney General's office, the Royal Security Command and as Thai ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

She was born on Dec. 7, 1978. Her mother is the king's first wife, Princess Soamsawali.

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Crowds Bid Farewell to Khamenei in Iranian City of Qom

Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Crowds Bid Farewell to Khamenei in Iranian City of Qom

Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Thousands of people took to the streets on Tuesday in the Iranian city of Qom during a fourth day of marathon funeral proceedings for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The remains of Khamenei, who was killed in late February on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, are lying in state at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom.

Aerial footage broadcast by state television showed the streets of Qom -- home to about 1.5 million people -- packed with mourners.

The massive crowd at the service chanted in unison, "death to America", a rallying cry frequently heard at official gatherings in Iran.

Other television footage showed mourners, including clerics, paying their respects at the coffins of Khamenei and four relatives killed alongside him, including a granddaughter reportedly only 14 months old.

The previous day, a lengthy funeral procession in Tehran drew huge crowds, with authorities keen to project an image of strength and unity following the war, and after massive, bloody anti-government protests across Iran six months ago.

Iranians flooded the streets of the capital in an event comparable to the 1989 funeral of Khamenei's predecessor, Khomeini, the founder of the republic.

But so far in the ceremonies there has been no sign of Khamenei's successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment in early March.

Iranian officials have said he was wounded in the airstrike that killed his father and it remains unknown if he will appear for the ceremonies.

Another funeral procession is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in neighboring Iraq, which is home to a large Shiite community.

The final burial of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for over three decades until his death at the age of 86, will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad, a city in the northeast of the country.

World

Trump Expected to Tell Türkiye He is Ready to Restore Access to F-35 jets, NYT Reports

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
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Trump Expected to Tell Türkiye He is Ready to Restore Access to F-35 jets, NYT Reports

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)

US President Donald ‌Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is prepared to allow the country to rejoin the F-35 stealth fighter program, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing four senior administration officials.

The report comes as Trump heads to Ankara for a NATO summit, where he is expected to meet Erdogan. The summit is set to begin on Tuesday ‌evening, said Reuters.

According to ‌the New York Times report, ‌the ⁠officials differed on the ⁠details of how Trump would seek to work around congressional and legal restrictions, but suggested there could be an exchange of letters on the subject between the two leaders.

The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for ⁠comment on the report.

Türkiye’s 2019 acquisition ‌of the Russian ‌S-400 air defense system has soured ties with the United ‌States and hampered congressional support for Ankara. ‌In response, Washington imposed sanctions and removed Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program.

Congress also passed a law prohibiting any sales of F-35s to Türkiye as long ‌as Ankara remained in possession of the S-400s, saying the Russian system poses ⁠a security ⁠risk to US-made combat aircraft.

The issue has remained a major point of contention between the two countries even though Türkiye enjoys warmer ties with Washington under Trump.

The reported development is a sign of improving ties between the two countries, especially after Trump’s administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet engines worth more than $700 million to Türkiye last month, according to a copy of the formal notification seen by Reuters.

World

Iran Issues Security Directives to Control Narrative Around Khamenei Funeral

Satellite image of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla during the funeral ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (Planet Labs/Reuters) 
Satellite image of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla during the funeral ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (Planet Labs/Reuters) 
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Iran Issues Security Directives to Control Narrative Around Khamenei Funeral

Satellite image of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla during the funeral ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (Planet Labs/Reuters) 
Satellite image of Tehran’s Grand Mosalla during the funeral ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (Planet Labs/Reuters) 

Iran’s security agencies have ordered media outlets and public relations departments at state institutions to adhere to a unified framework when covering news and analysis related to the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in an effort to tightly manage the public narrative during one of the country’s most sensitive political moments since the leadership transition.

The directives, obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, instruct media organizations to reinforce specific messaging, remove accounts that deviate from the official narrative, and portray the funeral as proof of the continuity of the leadership and the resilience of the political system in the face of what the document describes as the enemy’s “cognitive warfare.”

The document treats the funeral as a political, security, and media event simultaneously. It instructs outlets to depict public attendance as a unique “human shield” and as a “strategic declaration of loyalty” to Khamenei’s legacy and the Iranian Revolution’s “strategic depth.”

Media observers in Tehran said the directives reflect an effort to shape public opinion and curb media pluralism during a delicate transitional period.

The guidance requires coverage to revolve around three themes: “continuity of leadership,” “continuity of resistance,” and “a bright future.” It warns that inconsistent messaging would create space for competing narratives and urges all media to adopt a unified account on behalf of what it calls the “Front of the Revolution.”

The document also calls for highlighting the attendance of foreign delegations and republishing favorable analyses from Western media in domestic outlets as evidence of the success of Iran’s public diplomacy and the failure of efforts to isolate the country despite sanctions.

It instructs media to counter arguments by supporters of the former Pahlavi monarchy while avoiding defensive responses, instead emphasizing what it describes as the regime’s achievements in the nuclear, missile, and regional arenas.

Emphasis is placed on rebutting narratives of a “succession vacuum” and an “uncertain future.” The directives call for calm, well-documented explanations of Iran’s constitutional succession process to prevent what they describe as a cascading collapse in public confidence.

The guidance also bans coverage that could inflame political or sectarian divisions, urging media to stress national unity and consensus.

Media are further instructed to portray the funeral crowds as a historic display comparable to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and a decisive rebuttal to predictions of state collapse. They are encouraged to use statistics, photographs, and field reports to project national strength and cohesion, while incorporating deterrent messages emphasizing Iran’s military readiness and continued commitment to the “path of resistance.”

Finally, the directives warn against what they describe as pessimistic analyses or forecasts rooted in fear and uncertainty, urging media instead to promote an image of “a proud and advancing Iran” through what the document calls the “engineering of hope,” while affirming that “Iran’s future is bright and remains connected to the path of the Imam and the leadership.”