ALBAWABA — Thousands of Iranians mourned the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at his funeral in Tehran, scenes which took U.S. President Donald Trump by surprise who confessed that he thought many Iranians “hated him.”
Trump told Axios in an interview that the United States and Iran have agreed to a one-week halt in negotiations as burial services take place for Khamenei, adding that neither side plans to take any military action during the grieving time. Trump said the delay was a chance to defuse tensions while diplomatic channels remain available.
The comments came as Iran launched a multi-day official burial anticipated to gather millions of mourners throughout Tehran and numerous other cities. The capital’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex was jammed with big crowds, who shouted anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans as they paid homage to Khamenei, whose death in a U.S.-Israeli strike was a crucial turning point in the conflict. Funeral processions are expected in Qom, Mashhad and the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Trump also said Tehran wants a political deal with Washington and Iranian authorities are "doing everything they can" to reach an agreement. He said that although America has the military capacity to remove the rest of Iran’s leadership, there would be “no one left to negotiate with” – pointing to his administration’s preference for diplomacy despite recent conflicts.
Trump announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting at the White House on U.S.-Israel ties and both leaders are set to meet as soon as next week. Trump said that he and the Israeli PM “know who the boss is,” and described their connection as “very good. The planned meeting comes as rumors of widening strategic disagreements between Washington and Tel Aviv over Iran, even as the two administrations continue to coordinate closely on regional security.
