The diplomatic dispute came after statements made by Trump in an interview
Iran on Sunday strongly condemned US President Donald Trump after he claimed that Washington could eliminate the country’s top leadership gathered at the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “in one shot,” accusing the United States of lacking “civilization, history or honor.”The sharp response came from the Iranian embassy in Armenia, which published a strongly worded message on the X website defending the late Iranian leader and criticizing Trump’s statements.
The embassy wrote: “People can be killed, but ideals cannot be killed. You killed Ayatollah Khamenei, but in reality, you broke a perfume bottle whose smell spread everywhere.”She added that the United States, which celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4, could not understand the scale of public mourning because it “has no civilization, no history, and no honor.”
Trump questions mourning and says US may target Iran’s leaders
The diplomatic dispute came after statements made by Trump in an interview with Axios, where he said that he was surprised by the huge crowds that attended Khamenei’s funeral.“I thought people hated Khamenei. Maybe those were fake tears,” Trump said, according to ANI.He also claimed that the remaining Iranian leadership gathered at the funeral could be targeted if the United States chose to do so.Axios quoted Trump as saying, “They are all there. One shot, and we can eliminate them all. But we will not do that because then we will have no one to negotiate with.”
Trump also said that the pause in US-Iranian diplomacy during the funeral period was a mutual decision and suggested that the two sides resume negotiations after the week-long mourning ceremony ends.
The funeral attracts large crowds
Khamenei lies in state in Tehran, where thousands of mourners and foreign dignitaries gathered to pay their final farewell.The former supreme leader, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, is scheduled to be buried in Mashhad on July 9 after funeral ceremonies in Tehran, Qom, Najaf and Karbala.The state-organized ceremony attracted large crowds, and mourners were seen crying, beating their chests and chanting slogans in line with Shiite mourning traditions.The coffins were placed on a white tiered platform beneath an ornate arch, surrounded by black mourning banners and Iranian flags, highlighting the religious and political significance of the funeral.Iran portrayed the funeral as a show of national unity and resistance amid rising regional tensions.Khamenei’s killing in an enemy raid reinforced a narrative of martyrdom that is central to Shiite history, where public mourning, funeral processions, and collective expressions of grief symbolize shared resistance.The ceremony also included chants of “Death to America,” while mourners carrying pictures of Khamenei and his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, described the funeral as a moment of national defiance despite ongoing diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington.
