The UAE’s Al Fursan aerobatic team took part in a July 4 flyover in New York Harbor during the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations, while Iran began dayslong funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Over the July 4 weekend, the United Arab Emirates’ aerobatic team — known as Al Fursan (Fursan Al Emarat) — flew in a seven-aircraft formation during an “America 250” aerial display in New York, leaving trails of red, white and blue smoke as the jets passed near Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
Video of the flyover aired on NBC, and Navy Vice Adm. John Gumbleton was heard describing the moment as the team crossed the harbor.
Iran, meanwhile, began dayslong funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died earlier this year. Reporting from The Associated Press described large crowds gathering in Tehran as funeral events began on July 4.
Claims circulating in partisan commentary that the UAE “skipped” the funeral by choosing the New York flyover instead — including assertions that the UAE sent no delegation and offered no official condolences — could not be independently confirmed from major wire reports reviewed for this article. Public reporting has focused on the funeral’s scale and political significance for Iran’s leadership, while details of which countries sent official delegations have varied across outlets.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly urged people from across the country’s political and social spectrum to attend the ceremonies, casting turnout as a show of national unity in the face of what he described as intimidation and violence.
Analysts and international reporting have said the funeral events are expected to serve as a major public display for Iran’s rulers, after months of conflict and uncertainty surrounding the country’s succession.
