Washington DC: As the funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, officially began on Saturday, US President Donald Trump took a swipe at Tehran.
Trump, during his speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of the 250th anniversary of American independence, said that the US gave a week to Iran for Khamenei’s funeral. While addressing a gathering at Mount Rushmore, the US President said that Washington "knocked the hell out of Iran." “We created the strongest and most powerful military. We won two world wars and the Cold War, left America's enemies in the depths of history. 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,” Trump said. “We gave them a week off for a funeral, because we're nice,” he added.
President Trump on Iran:
— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) July 4, 2026
We knocked the hell out of Iran. They are dying to settle. They want to settle so badly.
We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice — that's true. pic.twitter.com/hQop9PaBLH
The US on Saturday is marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The celebrations honour the signing of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Trump’s remarks came as Iran began a week-long funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei. Notably, Khamenei was killed in the US-Israeli joint airstrikes on Tehran on February 28, the first day of the Iran war. Apart from Khamenei, several of his family members were also killed in the air strikes. Days after his death, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed the new supreme leader of Iran. However, reports kept surfacing that Mojtaba was also seriously injured in the airstrikes.
So far, after the US-Israel airstrikes, Mojtaba has never made any public appearance. messages, attributed to Mojtaba, were only aired on Iranian state media. Meanwhile, he also skipped his father's funeral ceremony.
Funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Friday, four months after he was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered a wider regional conflict. Millions are expected to participate in the six-day mourning program, which will conclude with his burial in Mashhad on July 9.
