A performer at the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday called for the ‘death’ of the ‘man who killed his Imam’, drawing loud cheers from hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran.The remarks marked the first call for Trump’s death by an emcee during Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies, where banners, posters and graffiti demanding the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also on display. The rhetoric came even as Tehran remains engaged in negotiations with Washington over a permanent end to the recent conflict that disrupted global energy supplies.Poet Mohammad Rasouli, speaking over loudspeakers at the funeral, asked the crowd, referring to Trump (without directly naming him), “Why is the most b*****d man in the world still alive?”The remark was met with chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Rasouli then added that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump, prompting another round of applause from mourners.Later in the ceremony, 97-year-old Shiite cleric Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led funeral prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla for Khamenei and members of his family. Among those present were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Revolutionary Guard chief Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani and Khamenei’s sons Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa.However, Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, did not attend the ceremony. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. Israel has also threatened to target him.Attendance at Sunday’s funeral was significantly larger than the previous day’s ceremonies, with mourners dressed in black carrying Iranian flags and banners honouring Khamenei while calling for the deaths of Trump and Netanyahu.The funeral coincided with Trump’s address marking the 250th anniversary of American independence in Washington, where he hailed recent US military actions.“We’ve had tremendous success,” Trump said. “You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.”US authorities have monitored Iranian threats against Trump and other former and current administration officials since Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. Although Iran has repeatedly denied plotting to assassinate Trump, hardline rhetoric and propaganda have frequently portrayed him as a target.The funeral of Khamenei, who led Iran for decades before being killed at the age of 86 in a February 28 airstrike at the start of the recent war, is also expected to reinforce support for Iran’s ruling establishment and its new supreme leader.The funeral had been delayed while the conflict was ongoing, and negotiations between Iran and the US over a permanent end to the war remain on hold.
