As Iran commenced the funeral ceremonies of its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday (July 4), US President Donald Trump remarked that Washington had effectively given Tehran "a week off" to conduct the final rites.
Addressing a gathering near Mount Rushmore, Trump referred to the recent conflict with Iran and said the Islamic Republic was eager to end hostilities.
"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 them a week off for a funeral because we're nice," he said.
Six-day funeral begins
The comments came as Iran launched a six-day state funeral for Khamenei, nearly four months after he was killed in large-scale US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran on February 28. The ceremonies were postponed for more than four months because of the ongoing conflict in West Asia and security concerns, despite Islamic tradition calling for burial within 24 hours of death.
The funeral began with a 24-hour public homage at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla complex. It will continue with religious ceremonies in the holy city of Qom on July 7 before concluding with Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
The timing of the funeral has also drawn attention, with Iran choosing to begin the ceremonies on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding.
Crowd gathers in Tehran
India will be represented at the funeral by Bihar Governor, Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, the Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed.
The funeral follows a framework agreement reached last month between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict. Although the two sides have continued to exchange sporadic fire since the agreement, tensions have eased in recent days.
Iranian authorities expect millions of mourners to participate in the ceremonies, making it one of the largest and most closely watched state funerals in the country's history. Across Tehran, giant portraits and banners of Khamenei have been displayed, while crowds gathered at the Grand Mosalla complex carrying anti-US and anti-Israel slogans. Among the banners seen at the venue was one reading "#KillTrump."
Mojtaba Khamenei to skip funeral
Meanwhile, reports suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Iran's leadership, would not attend his father's funeral due to security concerns.
According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, Khamenei's representative in India, the threat of Israeli surveillance and possible attacks made his public appearance too risky.
'Tiny coffin'
One of the most poignant images from the funeral was a small coffin placed beside Khamenei's casket. According to Iranian reports, it contained the body of his 14-month-old granddaughter, who was also killed in the same US-Israeli strikes.
The coffins of several other family members killed in the attacks were also placed alongside his. Iranian authorities have said Khamenei died together with members of his family, including his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and infant granddaughter.
The conflict erupted after the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian military, nuclear and government facilities, citing concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, US military installations and energy infrastructure across the region, while also disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a global energy crisis.
Source: The Federal
--Agencies
