Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump said the United States could “wipe out everyone” gathered at the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but claimed he would not order such a strike because Washington still needs Iranian officials to negotiate.
Axios reported that Trump made the remarks while discussing a potential White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the future of talks with Tehran. According to Axios, Trump said he had been watching Khamenei’s funeral and suggested Iran’s remaining leaders were exposed in one place.
The statement was extraordinary even by Trump’s standards. Publicly threatening to eliminate a country’s leadership during a funeral risks inflaming tensions while the United States is trying to maintain indirect talks on nuclear and regional issues. Trump said negotiations and military strikes were paused for about a week during the funeral period.
Iranian officials condemned the comments, with Iran’s embassy in Armenia accusing Trump of lacking “civilization, history and honor.” The remarks also came as Iran transitions to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who reportedly avoided public funeral ceremonies because of security concerns.
Trump’s threat keeps diplomacy alive only by pairing it with another dangerous escalation.
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