Trump Calls Mourners' Tears 'Fake' as Iran Shuts Airspace for Khamenei's Funeral
The funeral procession for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is still underway. US President Donald Trump has admitted he was shocked by the number of people in attendance, going so far as to call their tears ‘fake’.
The funeral procession for Ali Khamenei began on Saturday, 4 July. His body lay in repose day and night until Monday within the Grand Mosalla complex. The public was given the opportunity to pay their final respects during a ‘farewell ceremony’. A public holiday was declared for the duration of Khamenei’s funeral rites, with authorities ordering government and private offices in the Tehran area to close from Saturday (4/7) to Monday (6/7).
After the ceremony in Tehran concludes, Khamenei’s body will be taken to holy Shia cities in Iraq, such as Najaf and Karbala, before finally being laid to rest on 9 July at the Imam Reza Shrine complex in Mashhad, his birthplace.
Trump expressed his surprise at the sheer number of people attending Khamenei’s funeral, stating he believed the late leader of the Islamic Revolution was deeply unpopular. ‘I was surprised. I thought people hated him,’ Trump told Axios media, as reported by Times Now World on Monday (6/7). He then added, regarding the mourners seen weeping during the ceremony, ‘Maybe those are fake tears.’
Trump also claimed that Iran is very keen to resume negotiations. ‘They are begging to make a deal,’ he said. He added that both sides had agreed to postpone talks until after Khamenei’s funeral procession was complete. Trump stated, ‘They are all there. One shot [and we could get rid of them all], but we won’t do that because then we would have no one left to negotiate with.’ Trump also mentioned that no party would launch an attack during the funeral procession.
Iran closed the airspace over Tehran completely on Monday (6/7) local time as part of the funeral proceedings for Ali Khamenei. The airspace closure affected flight operations at Tehran’s two main airports, which were temporarily suspended. A report by the ISNA news agency, cited by Anadolu Agency on Monday (6/7), stated that flights in other regions of Iran were operating normally without restrictions on Sunday (5/7) local time. However, on Monday, ISNA reported that Tehran’s airspace would be completely closed during the main public funeral procession for Khamenei.
According to a schedule announced by the Civil Aviation Organisation, regular flights at Tehran’s two main airports, Mehrabad International Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport, were suspended for the entire day on Monday to accommodate the public ceremony in the capital. On Tuesday (7/7) local time, Mehrabad Airport is expected to resume normal operations, while Imam Khomeini Airport will remain closed. Authorities stated that on 9 July, the airspace over the eastern city of Mashhad will be completely closed, and operations at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport will also be suspended for the final stage of the funeral ceremony. Flights in other parts of Iran will continue without restrictions on 7-8 July local time, except in Mashhad on the final day of Khamenei’s funeral rites.