Two protocols for the construction of 4-iodo-3-furanones through a sequence consisting of cyclization and 1,2-migration of 2-alkynyl-2-silyloxy carbonyl compounds were developed. In one, electrophilic cyclization is directly induced by N-iodosuccinimide (NIS). In the second less limited variant, AuCl3 catalyzes the tandem reaction in the presence of NIS to provide highly substituted heterocycles in moderate to excellent yields.