Trump on Ali Khamenei’s funeral: Iran 'dying to settle', US gave them 'week off'
Speaking at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, Trump claimed that US pressure had “broken the spirit” of the Iranian leadership, leaving them “dying to settle.”
Amid stalled US-Iran talks, President Donald Trump said Washington gave Iran “a week off” for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral processions. He said Tehran was eager to settle with the US after the recent war.
Speaking at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, Trump claimed that US pressure had "broken the spirit" of the Iranian leadership, leaving them “dying to settle.”
Trump asserted that the US had granted a temporary suspension of hostilities for humanitarian reasons, stating that "we are nice people."
Quick answers to key questions
Trump claimed that Iran was 'dying to settle' with the US after the war and noted that the US granted them a 'week off' for Khamenei's funeral processions.
The US-Iran peace talks were stalled during the funeral processions, but were expected to resume immediately after the ceremonies concluded.
Khamenei's funeral was expected to draw massive crowds, indicating strong national support, and the ceremonies were framed as a display of resistance against US influence.
Reportedly, Iranian authorities pressured businesses and state employees to fund and provide services for the funeral, raising concerns among citizens about the financial burden amidst economic struggles.
There are indications that some believe Khamenei's hard-line policies contributed to his demise, suggesting that the regime may need to reconsider its strategies in order to adapt to the changing situation.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran. They’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral, because we’re nice," Trump was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
The remarks came as funeral processions for Iran’s late Supreme Leader began in Tehran on Friday, with ceremonies expected to continue in Iran and Iraq before his burial on July 9.
Iran-US talks stalled
The funeral ceremony began after Qatar and Pakistan concluded separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha on July 1, with "positive progress" reported on issues related to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to Qatar's foreign ministry official spokesperson.
The US-Iran peace talks will resume after the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader conclude.
The Qatar foreign spokesperson said, "The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader."
'Revenge! Revenge!'
As the ceremony began, mourners wept at the sight of Khamenei's coffin alongside those of his family members also killed in the airstrike, with some chanting: "Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!"
Some carried banners and flags, while billboards across the city bore Khamenei's image. Crowds of men rhythmically beat their chests in mourning, a common practice at Shiite funerals.
Crowds at the funeral ceremony in Tehran chanted: "Death to America!" - reprising a cry that's been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and US Embassy takeover and hostage crisis.
The funeral for Khamenei, who ruled Iran for decades before being killed at age 86 in a Feb. 28 airstrike in the opening moments of the Iran war, could provide a boost for the country's theocracy and its new supreme leader, his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Ceremonies will continue through the weekend with the body lying in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday.
Further rites are scheduled in Qom and later in Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf before burial in Mashhad on July 9.
The gates of the Mosalla are expected to open to the public at 6 a.m.(local time) on Saturday, although organisers said there is a possibility of an earlier opening depending on circumstances.
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