A performer at the funeral for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump before a crowd numbering hundreds of thousands on Sunday in the capital, Tehran.
The comment marks the first direct call for Trump's death by an emcee at the funeral, which has also featured posters and graffiti demanding the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This hard-line demand comes as Tehran negotiates with the U.S. regarding a permanent end to the war that has affected global energy supplies.
Mohammad Rasouli, a poet, voiced calls for “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”.
Speaking to the crowd via loudspeakers at the funeral, Rasouli questioned Trump: “Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive?”
The question elicited cheers from the audience, as did his subsequent statement that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump.
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, later led a prayer on Sunday at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla for Khamenei and his late family members. Attendees included Khamenei’s sons Masoud, Meysam, and Mostafa, as well as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi. Esmail Qaani, who leads the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force, was also present.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, another of Khamenei’s sons, did not attend. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father, and Israel has threatened him as well.
Larger crowd attends second day of Khamenei’s funeral
The ceremony on Sunday drew a significantly larger crowd than the previous day. Mourners dressed in black proceeded to the site, carrying banners and flags honoring Khamenei and also calling for Trump’s killing while the American president was speaking in Washington regarding the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding.
“We’ve had tremendous success,” Trump stated about the American military. “You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.”
U.S. federal authorities have monitored Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for several years. This surveillance stems from Trump ordering the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force. While Iran has repeatedly denied plotting to kill Trump, hard-line propaganda footage has long suggested Trump was a target in Tehran.
Trump had previously promised to destroy Iran’s civilization amidst various other threats during the war.
Khamenei’s funeral puts talks with US on hold
The funeral for Khamenei, who governed Iran for decades before his death at age 86 in an airstrike on February 28 during the initial moments of the Iran war, could bolster the country's theocracy and its new supreme leader.
This is significant as Iran seeks to use its control over the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the U.S. for a permanent end to the conflict, amid ongoing concerns about potential renewed Israeli attacks.
The funeral was postponed while the war continued, and talks remain suspended until it concludes.