Trump says he was surprised by the large public turnout and emotional mourning at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral, while also commenting on Iran’s leadership and future negotiations.
Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump said he was surprised by the large public turnout and emotional scenes during the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the images did not match his expectations about public sentiment in Iran.
Speaking to an Axios journalist, Trump said he was surprised to see so many people mourning and crying for Khamenei because he had believed that many Iranians disliked the country’s supreme leader. He added that it was also possible that some of the emotional displays were not genuine and could have been staged.
Trump also claimed that the United States could target Iran’s senior leadership gathered at such an event if it chose to do so. However, he said such action would not be taken because it would leave no leadership available for future negotiations.
The remarks come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran, with diplomatic relations remaining strained over regional security, sanctions, and Iran’s nuclear program.
As of now, Iranian authorities have not issued an official response to Trump’s comments.
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