At the funeral of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a performer used the occasion to call for the death of US President Donald Trump. The incident occurred on Sunday in Tehran before a crowd of hundreds of thousands, as Trump boasted that the United States had 'wiped out' Iran.
Poet's Call to Action
Poet Mohammad Rasouli addressed the mourners, drawing loud cheers when he asked: 'Why is the most b*stard man in the world still alive?' in reference to Trump. His remarks prompted chants of 'Death to America!' and 'Death to Israel!' from the assembled crowd.
This was the first direct call for Trump's death by a figure at the funeral, though posters and graffiti demanding the killing of both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already been seen.
Context of Ongoing Negotiations
The outburst came as Tehran continues to negotiate with Washington over a permanent end to the conflict that has severely disrupted global energy supplies. The funeral for Khamenei, who governed Iran for decades before being killed aged 86 in a 28 February airstrike during the opening phases of the Iran conflict, could deliver a significant boost for the nation's theocracy and its new supreme leader, his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Sunday's ceremony attracted a considerably larger crowd than the previous day's proceedings. Mourners dressed in black carried banners and flags honouring Khamenei while also demanding Trump's killing as he delivered a speech in Washington marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Trump's Remarks
'We've had tremendous success,' Trump said, speaking of the American military. 'You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.'
The funeral was postponed as fighting continued, and negotiations remain suspended until hostilities cease. Iran is attempting to utilise its control over the Strait of Hormuz in discussions with the US regarding a lasting conclusion to the conflict, while apprehension persists that Israel might launch another offensive.
