WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump said he was surprised to see large numbers of Iranians mourning the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding that he had believed many Iranians disliked him.
In a telephone interview with journalist Barak Ravid of Axios, Trump said the emotional scenes during Khamenei’s funeral had caught him off guard. He remarked that the tears of mourners “may be genuine, or they may not be.”
Trump also made controversial remarks, claiming that if the United States had wanted to, it could have targeted everyone attending the funeral, including Iran’s senior leadership gathered at one location. He added that such action would not be taken because “there would be no one left to negotiate with.”
The U.S. president further claimed that Washington and Tehran had agreed to temporarily pause negotiations until Khamenei’s funeral and mourning ceremonies are completed. He said he expected talks to resume afterward and asserted that Iran was eager to reach an agreement with the United States.
According to the report, funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, who was reported to have been killed in an Israeli and U.S. attack on February 28, began this week. The funeral procession is scheduled to pass through Tehran, Qom, Karbala and Najaf before burial in Mashhad on July 9.
