Iran

Trump Threatens to 'Wipe Out Everyone' at Khamenei's Funeral

Is Iran begging for a deal from a position of weakness or signaling defiance from a position of enduring strength?

JUL 5·Updated JUL 9

Trump Threatens to 'Wipe Out Everyone' at Khamenei's Funeral

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Above: Donald Trump during the "Salute to America" event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026. Image credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Facts

U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios Saturday that peace negotiations with Iran had been paused for the duration of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's funeral and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested a White House meeting, which could take place after the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7-8.
"I've been watching Khamenei's funeral. In fact, we could wipe out everyone there. But then there would be no one left to negotiate with," Trump said, adding that he was "surprised to see Iranians crying at Khamenei's funeral because I thought people hated him."
According to Al Arabiya, the next round of U.S.-Iran negotiations is expected to take place in Pakistan on July 11. Talks are expected to focus on U.S. sanctions, Iran's frozen financial assets and Tehran's nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear on the second day of funeral ceremonies for his father in Tehran on Sunday, while three of his brothers — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — were seen praying behind the coffins at Tehran's Grand Mosalla.
A poet emceeing the funeral event called for the killing of Trump, drawing cheers from the crowd. Posters and graffiti at the Grand Mosalla also called for the deaths of Trump and Netanyahu.
Authorities expect more than 10 million people to take part in ceremonies in Tehran across the six-day funeral, which concludes with Khamenei's burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad on July 9.

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

Iran is begging to make a deal, and while the sincerity of public mourning for its leadership is questionable, as they may be fake tears for a brutalizer who traumatized the nation for nearly 40 years, America has shown generosity by giving Iranians a week off. Peace is best achieved through unmistakable strength, and U.S. military power creates unmatched leverage without requiring the use of force.

Pro-Iran narrative

Any enemy miscalculation during this period will be met with a crushing response, as the Iranian people proved their unity by turning out en masse to mourn Khamenei. Trump's dismissive suggestion that the grief was "fake tears" shows a fundamental misreading of Iranian resolve. Millions on the streets aren't a sign of weakness — that's a nation signaling it won't be pushed around.

Anti-Trump narrative

Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, its nuclear program is intact and its clerical leadership remains firmly in power. Trump boasted about "knocking the hell out of Iran" at Mount Rushmore while quietly pausing all military and diplomatic action for a week-long funeral. Khamenei's funeral drawing brutal dictators from across the globe is a reminder of what this misadventure has failed to dismantle.