- Poet at Khamenei's funeral called for Trump's death.
- Trump claimed US could eliminate Iran's leadership with "one shot".
- Funeral delays US-Iran diplomatic talks amid heightened tensions.
Tehran: A performer at the funeral for Iran‘s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the death of US President Donald Trump before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people Sunday in the capital, Tehran. The comment represents the first direct call for Trump’s death by an emcee at the funeral, which has seen posters and graffiti calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That‘s been a hard-line demand even as Tehran negotiates with the US over a permanent end to the war that’s disrupted global energy supplies.
Mohammad Rasouli, a poet, drew calls of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Speaking to the crowd over loudspeakers at the funeral, Rasouli asked, referring to Trump: “Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive?”
The question drew cheers from the crowd, and again when Rasouli said that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump.
Can take them out with one shot: Trump
Trump has claimed that the United States could eliminate Iran's remaining top leadership with "one shot" if it chose to, but said Washington is refraining from doing so because it wants diplomatic negotiations with Tehran to continue.
Speaking about senior Iranian officials gathered for the week-long state funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the late Iranian Supreme Leader who was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, Trump said the opportunity existed to target the country's leadership.
"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 was quoted as saying by Axios.
Trump's remarks underscore his administration's position that, despite military pressure, the US remains interested in keeping diplomatic channels with Iran open.
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, later led a prayer Sunday at Tehran‘s Grand Mosalla for Khamenei and his late family members. On hand were 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. Also, there was Esmail Qaani, who leads the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force.
But not attending was Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, another of Khamenei’‘s sons. He’'s believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. Israel has threatened to kill him as well.
Larger crowd attends second day of Khamenei’'s funeral
A far larger crowd for the funeral than the day before attended the ceremony on Sunday. Mourners dressed in black walked to the site, carrying banners and flags honouring Khamenei and also calling for Trump’s killing as the American president gave a speech in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
"We‘ve had tremendous success," Trump said, speaking of the American military. “You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.”
(With inputs from agencies)