US President Donald Trump said he was surprised by scenes of mourning at former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's funeral, remarking that he believed Iranians hated him and suggesting the public grief may not be genuine.
Speaking to Axios, Trump said, "I was surprised to see some Iranians crying at the funeral. I thought people hated Khamenei. Maybe it's fake tears."
Trump also claimed Iran is eager to resume nuclear negotiations after the conflict that followed Khamenei's assassination.
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"They are begging to make a deal," Trump told Axios, adding that Washington and Tehran have agreed to pause negotiations for a week until the funeral ceremonies conclude. The US president further claimed there would be no attacks by either side during this period.
"They are all there. One shot and we can take them all out, but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with," Trump said, referring to Iran's remaining leadership.
According to Axios, Trump is also expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, a meeting seen as politically significant as Netanyahu begins campaigning for Israel's October elections, where opinion polls currently show him trailing.
Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, was killed on Feb. 28, the first day of the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, triggering a wider regional conflict. Owing to the war, Iran delayed his burial despite Islamic tradition favouring burial within 24 hours.
The funeral began on July 4 and includes ceremonies in the holy city of Qom before concluding with Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
Millions have attended the funeral processions across Iran. During Saturday's farewell ceremony, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were seen in tears.
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Al-Jazeera reported that mourners at the funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prominently displayed red flags and banners, invoking a powerful Shia symbol associated with vengeance for a slain leader.
Among the banners were the traditional slogan "Ya Latharat al-Hussein" ("O Avengers of Hussein") and the newly coined "Ya Latharat al-Khamenei" ("O Avengers of Khamenei"), displayed across Tehran's Grand Mosalla.
The new slogan draws on the legacy of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, whose killing at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD remains central to Shia Islam and is commemorated as a symbol of sacrifice and resistance against oppression.
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