Jakarta, ThedailyID — U.S. President Donald Trump mocked the millions of Iranians mourning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his funeral on Sunday, questioning whether their grief was genuine.
Speaking to Axios by phone, Trump said he had watched the funeral procession for Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on Feb. 28.
Trump said he was surprised to see large crowds mourning the Iranian leader because he believed many Iranians opposed him. He then suggested the public display of grief was not sincere.
“Maybe those were fake tears,” Trump said on Saturday U.S. time.
Trump also claimed the United States could have attacked Iran during the funeral. However, he said Washington chose not to act because it wanted to preserve ongoing diplomatic efforts.
“They were all there. One shot and we could have wiped them all out,” Trump said. “But we’re not going to do that because then we’d have nobody left to negotiate with.”
Tens of thousands of Iranians gathered at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla on Saturday to pay their final respects to Khamenei. Many mourners wore black clothing, carried Iranian flags, and held portraits of Khamenei and his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Crowds filled the large prayer complex throughout the day. Many beat their chests, wept, and chanted slogans, including “Death to America.”
“Everyone who came here wants revenge for the blood of our supreme leader,” mourner Arash Rahimi told Reuters. “As our leader said, we have a blood feud with the United States. Our relationship with America will never improve.”
Three of Khamenei’s sons—Masoud, Meysam, and Mostafa—attended the funeral prayer, according to the Associated Press, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend because of security concerns following reported Israeli threats against him.
Video footage also showed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Ahmad Vahidi attending the ceremony.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that senior cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led the funeral prayer.
Several senior Iranian officials also attended the ceremony, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani.
