WASHINGTON: Trump’s Iran funeral remarks drew attention after the US president said Washington gave Tehran “a week off” for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
US President Donald Trump made the comment during a Mount Rushmore speech in South Dakota marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Trump claimed the United States had “knocked the hell out of Iran” and said Tehran was “dying to settle” with Washington.
He added that the United States gave Iran “a week off for a funeral because we’re nice,” referring to the funeral processions for Khamenei.
Trump on Iran:
We knocked the hell out of Iran. They're dying to settle. They want to settle so badly.
We gave them a week off for a funeral because we're nice. It's true. pic.twitter.com/sRO86QqkdW
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 4, 2026
Trump’s remarks came as negotiations between Washington and Tehran remained paused during the state ceremonies.
The multi-day public funeral rituals for Khamenei began at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Reuters footage showed security personnel patrolling Tehran before the processions. The authorities increased security as mourners gathered for ceremonies scheduled to continue through July 9.
The funeral processions are expected to take place across multiple cities before Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad.
Read: Islamabad MoU Strains as US-Iran Hostilities Resume
Iran had appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader during a fragile political and military standoff.