Trump 'Shocked' by Massive Turnout at Martyr Imam Khamenei's Funeral: "I Thought People Hated Him"
US President Donald Trump said he was surprised to see millions of Iranians mourning Martyr Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, admitting he had expected the late Iranian leader to be widely disliked.
United States, PUREWILAYAH.COM – US President Donald Trump said he was “shocked” by the massive public turnout at the funeral of Martyr Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, saying he had believed the Iranian people hated their late leader.
Speaking to Axios, Trump said he had been following the funeral ceremonies in Tehran after Martyr Imam Khamenei was assassinated during the opening phase of the recent US-Israeli war against Iran.
“I was shocked. I thought people hated him,” Trump said.
After watching mourners weeping during the funeral, Trump added:
“Maybe it’s fake tears.”
Trump also claimed that Iran was eager to resume negotiations with Washington.
“They are begging to make a deal,” he said, adding that both sides had agreed to postpone talks until the funeral ceremonies concluded.
Iran has not publicly responded to Trump’s remarks or to his claim regarding the status of negotiations.
Although Google’s search preview of an Al Jazeera live blog briefly displayed Trump’s remarks, the quoted passage was no longer visible in the article at the time of publication. The comments have nevertheless been widely circulated by multiple media outlets citing Trump’s interview with Axios.
Millions Filled the Streets
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, around 15 million people were expected to participate in the funeral ceremonies, making them among the largest public gatherings in the country’s history.
Millions poured into the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities to bid farewell to Martyr Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, while large memorial processions were also held in Iraq. The scale of the mourning appeared to contrast sharply with Trump’s expectation that the late Iranian leader lacked broad public support.
The funeral brought together senior Iranian officials, military commanders, religious scholars, and delegations from nearly 100 countries, alongside representatives of resistance movements from across the region.
A Funeral That Extended Beyond Iran
The scale of the funeral underscored the resilience of the political project Martyr Imam Khamenei left behind.
Rather than triggering the instability anticipated by Washington and Tel Aviv following his assassination during the recent US-Israeli war, Iran’s state institutions continued functioning, national cohesion remained intact, and the Axis of Resistance preserved its organizational continuity.
The timing of the funeral also carried broader historical symbolism. As the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, millions gathered across Iran and Iraq to honor a leader who spent more than four decades advocating political independence from foreign domination and supporting resistance movements across West Asia.
For many participants, the funeral was not only a farewell to a national leader but also a public reaffirmation that the path he represented would continue beyond his martyrdom. (PW)