Tens of thousands of Iranians attended the funeral of the late former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which began June 4, mourning in tears and chanting anti-American slogans. U.S. President Donald Trump mocked the scene, saying the tears were "probably fake," while Iran fired back, saying he failed to understand "because he has no civilization and no honor."
"Death to America" Echoes Across the Square
According to Reuters on June 4, tens of thousands of Iranians gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, Tehran's largest square, to take part in the funeral of Khamenei and his family. Khamenei's coffin, which had been placed indoors for a day so that senior Iranian leaders and foreign officials could pay their respects, was displayed under an outdoor glass case alongside the coffins of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter.
The funeral runs through June 9, with a large memorial procession scheduled for June 6. On June 7, the remains will be carried to Qom, one of Shia Islam's leading holy sites, before crossing into Iraq for funeral rites at Najaf and Karbala, two other Shia holy sites. The remains will return to Iran on June 9 for another memorial procession before final burial.
On June 4, when Khamenei's body was shown to the public for the first time, mourners attended dressed in black and draped in Iranian flags, or holding portraits of Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba. The chant "Death to America" echoed throughout the enormous prayer hall, Reuters reported. Arash Rahimi, who attended the memorial, told Reuters, "Everyone gathered here has come to avenge the blood of the Supreme Leader." He added, "As our leader said, we are in a blood feud with America. Relations with America can never improve."
Trump Says "Fake Tears," Iran Responds "No Civilization, No Honor"
Mojtaba did not appear that day either. The new supreme leader, who is reported to have been injured, has so far issued only written messages and has not appeared in public. Nevertheless, Khamenei's funeral was seen as a display of the resilience of the Iranian regime. Despite intense U.S. attacks, the regime, centered on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was maintained, and it still exercises control over the Strait of Hormuz. In recent ceasefire negotiations with the United States, Iran is also reported to have secured the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen overseas. Local media forecast that mourners at the funeral will number between 18 million and 35 million. Observers say the funeral could break the record of former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini (June 1989, with about 10.2 million people gathered), which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the "funeral with the largest attendance relative to population."
With negotiations with the United States temporarily suspended during the funeral period, President Trump mocked Khamenei's funeral. In an interview with Axios, he said, "Since Iran's leadership was all there [at the funeral], Washington could have taken them all out with 'a single shot.'" He added, "But we won't do that, because then there would be no one left to negotiate with." Trump also said he was surprised to see some Iranians crying, saying, "I thought people hated Khamenei," and "They're probably fake tears." In response, Iran's embassy in Armenia condemned him on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "You don't understand these things because you have no civilization, no history, and no honor."
