Tehran (Iran), 5 July (LaPresse/AP) – During the public funeral ceremony for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a speaker called for the death of US President Donald Trump in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in the capital, Tehran. The statement marks the first direct call for Trump’s death made by a speaker during the funeral ceremony, during which placards and graffiti appeared calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This call comes at a time when Tehran is negotiating with the United States to bring the conflict to a definitive end. The poet Mohammed Rasouli chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”. Addressing the crowd over the loudspeakers during the funeral, Rasouli asked, referring to Trump: “Why is the world’s biggest bastard still alive?”. The question drew applause from the crowd. There was further applause when Rasouli stated that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump. Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shia cleric, led a prayer at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran in memory of Khamenei and his deceased family members. Present were Khamenei’s sons – Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa – as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Ahmad Vahidi. Also in attendance was Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, the Guards’ elite unit tasked with overseas operations. However, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei – another of Khamenei’s sons – did not attend today’s ceremony. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the air raid that killed his father; Israel has also threatened to kill him. A much larger crowd attended the ceremony than on the previous day. The mourners, dressed in black, made their way to the venue carrying banners and flags in honour of Khamenei, whilst calling for Trump’s death – just as the US president was delivering a speech in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Iran: At Khamenei’s funeral, poet calls for Trump’s death; ‘Kill him’ placards also seen
Tehran (Iran), 5 July (LaPresse/AP) – During the public funeral ceremony for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a speaker called for the death of US President Donald Trump in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in the capital, Tehran. The statement marks the first direct call for Trump’s death made by a speaker during the funeral ceremony, during which placards and graffiti appeared calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This call comes at a time when Tehran is negotiating with the United States to bring the conflict to a definitive end. The poet Mohammed Rasouli chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”. Addressing the crowd over the loudspeakers during the funeral, Rasouli asked, referring to Trump: “Why is the world’s biggest bastard still alive?”. The question drew applause from the crowd. There was further applause when Rasouli stated that “the world is no longer a good place for” Trump. Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shia cleric, led a prayer at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran in memory of Khamenei and his deceased family members. Present were Khamenei’s sons – Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa – as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Ahmad Vahidi. Also in attendance was Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, the Guards’ elite unit tasked with overseas operations. However, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei – another of Khamenei’s sons – did not attend today’s ceremony. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the air raid that killed his father; Israel has also threatened to kill him. A much larger crowd attended the ceremony than on the previous day. The mourners, dressed in black, made their way to the venue carrying banners and flags in honour of Khamenei, whilst calling for Trump’s death – just as the US president was delivering a speech in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
