Trump says ‘one shot’ could eliminate Iran leadership gathered at Khamenei funeral; Iran responds

Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington has the capability to eliminate Iran’s remaining leadership with “one shot” if it chose to act. He made the remark while referring to the presence of senior Iranian officials at the ongoing state funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with,” Trump said in an interview with Axios.

Meanwhile, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend his father’s funeral due to security concerns. His representative in India noted that continued Israeli threats and heightened surveillance risks would make his public appearance “dangerous.”

"Thought people hated him": Trump

During the same interview, Trump also reacted to images of mourners at the funeral procession, expressing surprise and suggesting he had believed the Iranian public “hated” Ali Khamenei.

“Maybe it’s fake tears,” he said.

Earlier, ahead of US Independence Day celebrations, Trump had also commented on Iran’s situation, saying, “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.”

Iran embassy in Armenia issues sharp response

The remarks drew a sharp response from the Iranian embassy in Armenia, which posted on X: “You don't understand these things because you have neither civilisation, nor history, nor honour.”

Tehran warns US and Israel against military action

Security tensions remain high around the funeral ceremonies. Iranian military commander Ali Abdollahi, head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned the US and Israel against any military action, saying Iran’s armed forces would respond strongly to any aggression.

“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the US and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation,” he said in a statement broadcast by Iranian state media.

Funeral processions for Ayatollah Khamenei began on Friday, July 3, in Tehran, with additional ceremonies planned in Qom and neighbouring Iraq. The state mourning events are scheduled to conclude on July 9, with burial set to take place in his hometown of Mashhad.

Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned of a “swift and firm” response to any threats against Iran’s leadership, following comments by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who reportedly said Iran’s incoming Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “marked for death.”

ANI