U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his surprise at the displays of grief seen during the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stating that the turnout and tears at the event were contrary to his expectations.
In an interview with Axios, Trump noted he was observing the funeral proceedings in Tehran, mentioning that he had assumed Iranians "hated Khamenei," but added that the scenes of crying caught him off guard, suggesting, “perhaps they're fake tears.”
The American president also announced that Washington and Tehran had agreed to pause talks for a week until Khamenei’s funeral proceedings concluded, assuring that a cease-fire would remain in place during this period.
Trump further stated that the U.S. administration preferred not to take any military actions that could disrupt the negotiation process, saying targeting Iranian officials at this time “would leave no one to negotiate with.”
Khamenei’s funeral continues in Iran’s capital, Tehran, with a broad official and public turnout, planned to extend to the cities of Qom and Mashhad before his burial at the Imam Reza shrine, as per the schedule announced by Iranian authorities.