New Delhi:
US President Donald Trump said that he has “knocked the hell out of Iran” as Tehran began a six-day funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – nearly four months after an airstrike killed him at the start of the US-Iran war.
Trump, during a speech near Mount Rushmore, said the US gave Iran a “week off” for a funeral.
“We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran; they’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave him a week off for a funeral because we’re nice,” he said.
Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, was killed on February 28 – the day the US and Israel began striking Iran, triggering a war in the Middle East. Speculations regarding the timeline of the final ceremonies had been building since March. While the Islamic jurisprudence typically dictates that a dead person be buried as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, this was an exception due to a state of war.
Since the Iran-US deal was signed last month, the sides have exchanged fire in the Middle East, putting the truce into a fragile state. The exchanges of fire, however, have appeared to ease in recent days.
Iran chose July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the US, to begin Khamenei’s funeral. The funeral rituals will include events in Qom – a holy city south of Tehran, on July 7, and other religious observances. It will conclude on July 9 with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.
Iranian authorities expect millions of mourners to hit the streets over the six-day period, making the funeral one of the closely tracked global events.
Many posters and giant billboards have been put up across Iran showing the late Khamenei.
The people of Tehran have not forgotten Trump. In the crowd in Grand Mosalla, several mourners held a large flag that read: “#KillTrump.”
Mojtaba Khamenei to not attend father’s funeral?
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not attend the funeral ceremonies of his father, Ali Khamenei, over security concerns, his representative in India has reportedly said.
According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the Israeli threats and surveillance risks would make Mojtaba’s public attendance “dangerous”, reported news agency ANI.
A tiny coffin in focus
Amid the funeral ceremony for Khamenei, a tiny coffin has been placed to the late Supreme Leader’s coffin – It is the body of Khamenei’s 14-month-old granddaughter, who was also killed in the US-Israeli strikes.
The bodies of his other dead relatives were also placed beside him.
