Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral on Thursday attracted large crowds of mourners wishing death upon President Donald Trump, after he launched the war that killed the Islamist figure in February.Funeral events reached their culmination this week, as mourners reached the country’s holiest shrine for Khamenei’s burial at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. Footage of the proceedings showed massive crowds in funeral processions carrying giant scarlet banners reading “Kill Trump,” “Hey Trump, we will kill you,” and “There will be blood” on banners depicting Trump’s image. “We will kill Trump” banners also appeared on buildings in Mashhad, according to footage on social media.
The development comes as U.S. officials have long warned that Trump is a top target of Iran.Earlier this week, the president was rumored to have switched up presidential aircraft as a security precaution against Iranian bad actors.“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” he said during a press conference when asked whether the change was caused by threats. “They’re lovely people.”Khamenei, 86, was killed on Feb. 28, bringing an end to his tenure that lasted more than three decades. As the country’s supreme leader, Khamenei led a theocratic Islamist government that has heavily restricted religious, sexual, and political expression, and has instituted severe restrictions on women. The country backs terrorism across the world, including Hamas’s operations against Israel in Gaza.The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February, resulting in Khamenei’s death, after Washington, Jerusalem, and other democracies had long expressed concerns about the country’s nuclear program and support for terrorism internationally.“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social announcing the Iranian leader’s death. “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”In the U.S., Iran has repeatedly been accused of planning operations to assassinate Trump, particularly since he ordered the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani during his first term.A truck carrying the coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes its way through mourners during a funeral procession on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Najaf, Iraq. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
