Trump at the funeral of Ali Khamenei: Iran is “dying to settle down”, the US gave them a “week off” | Today’s news

Amid stalled US-Iran talks, President Donald Trump said Washington had given Iran “a week off” for funeral processions for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He said Tehran was eager to settle with the US after the recent war.

In a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota during the 250th anniversary of US independence, Trump claimed that US pressure had “broken the spirit” of Iran’s leadership and left them “dying to settle”.

Trump claimed the US had temporarily suspended hostilities for humanitarian reasons, saying “we’re nice people”.

“We kicked the hell out of Iran. They’re dying to settle down. They want to settle down so badly. We gave them a week off for the funeral because we’re nice,” Trump said, according to ANI.

The remarks came as funeral processions for Iran’s late supreme leader began in Tehran on Friday, with rites expected to continue in Iran and Iraq ahead of his July 9 burial.

The mourning ceremony began after Qatar and Pakistan held separate meetings with American and Iranian negotiators in Doha on July 1, with “positive progress” reported on issues related to the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), according to an official spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry.

Peace talks between the US and Iran will continue after the funeral processions of Iran’s former supreme leader are over.

Qatar’s foreign spokesman said: “The parties have agreed to continue discussions in the coming period, with the next meeting scheduled as soon as possible after the funeral processions of Iran’s former supreme leader.”

Crowds at a funeral in Tehran chanted, “Death to America!” – repeating the cry that has been common in Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979 and the takeover of the US embassy and the hostage crisis.

Rites will continue over the weekend with the body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla before a funeral procession through Tehran on Monday.

Further ceremonies are planned in Qom and later in Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf before the funeral in Mashhad on July 9.

Mosalla’s gates are expected to open to the public at 6 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, although organizers said there was a possibility of an earlier opening depending on circumstances.