Lagatar24 Desk
Tehran: A performer at the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly called for the death of US President Donald Trump on Sunday, sparking loud cheers from hundreds of thousands of mourners assembled in Tehran, as banners and graffiti demanding the killing of Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu were also displayed across the venue.
Poet’s Provocative Remarks Trigger Anti-US Slogans
During the ceremony, poet Mohammad Rasouli addressed the crowd over loudspeakers, referring to Trump without naming him directly and questioning why he was still alive, using a derogatory term to describe him. His remarks were met with chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” from the gathering. Rasouli went on to say that the world was no longer a safe place for Trump, drawing further applause. This was the first time an emcee had explicitly called for Trump’s death during the funeral proceedings for Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on February 28 at the age of 86, at the outset of the recent conflict.
Top Officials Attend Ceremony, New Leader Absent
Funeral prayers for Khamenei and his family were led by 97-year-old Shiite cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla. Senior figures in attendance included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Revolutionary Guard chief Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, and Khamenei’s sons Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa. Notably absent was Iran’s newly named supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be in hiding after reportedly sustaining injuries in the same airstrike that killed his father, with Israel having also threatened to target him directly. Sunday’s turnout was markedly larger than the previous day, with mourners dressed in black carrying Iranian flags and banners honouring Khamenei while renewing calls for the deaths of Trump and Netanyahu.
Funeral Coincides with Trump’s Independence Day Address
The funeral took place the same day Trump delivered a speech marking the 250th anniversary of American independence in Washington, during which he praised recent US military operations, claiming success against both Venezuela and Iran. US authorities have kept a close watch on Iranian threats directed at Trump and other officials since he ordered the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. While Iran has consistently denied any plot to assassinate Trump, hardline rhetoric has repeatedly cast him as a target. The funeral, delayed due to the ongoing conflict, is expected to strengthen backing for Iran’s ruling establishment and its new supreme leader, even as talks between Iran and the US toward a lasting end to the war remain stalled.
