Iran Buries Ali Khamenei as Funeral Crowds Display Threats Targeting Trump
Iran buried former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad on Thursday, ending a multiday state funeral that unfolded alongside renewed U.S. Iran strikes and public calls for revenge against President Donald Trump.
CBS reported that Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28, the first day of the U.S. Israeli war with Iran. His funeral procession concluded in Mashhad as Iran and the United States exchanged new attacks, with Iranian officials claiming at least 14 people were killed in two days of U.S. strikes.
The funeral also became a visible display of anti Trump messaging.
Reuters reported that mourners in Tehran carried placards calling for Trump’s death, burned U.S. and British flags, and displayed images of Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in crosshairs. Reuters also reported that Iran’s mission to the United Nations said those behind Khamenei’s killing had planted “hatred and vengeance” in the Iranian nation.
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The consequence is larger than funeral rhetoric. CBS reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that U.S. interference with shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz would draw a forceful response, while the International Maritime Organization said hundreds of seafarers remained trapped in the Persian Gulf area amid renewed hostilities.
The Trump administration has treated the conflict as both a military and diplomatic pressure campaign. CBS reported that Trump said talks had paused during the funeral period and that he claimed the United States gave Iran “a week off” for the ceremonies.
The next question is whether the burial lowers tensions or hardens them. For now, the funeral has turned into another front in a conflict where public threats, military strikes, shipping pressure, and stalled negotiations are moving at the same time.
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