Iran: “We Will Kill Trump” banner shocks world at Khamenei funeral

Iran may be at war with Israel and the United States — the alliance of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump — yet the simmering civil war atmosphere that has gripped the country since last December shows no signs of fading. The funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, who was set to be buried on Thursday, July 9, in the holy city of Mashhad, have brought some of those deep religious, cultural, social, and political tensions back to the surface. Not so much in the form of new outbreaks of violence, but rather through a stark display of religious intolerance — the kind that is almost expected under a theocratic regime. It comes as no surprise, then, that Iranians who have rallied in opposition — directed primarily at the United States — made their voices heard. A massive banner bearing the words “We will kill Trump,” beneath a clenched fist, was unfurled on a building in Mashhad on the evening of Wednesday, July 8. A second, more rectangular banner displayed the same message in two languages. An identical message had already appeared on banners carried through the streets of Tehran on Monday, July 6.

Read more: New escalation in Iran: “American missile strikes area around Bushehr nuclear plant”

Iran: violent harassment of Pezeshkian and Araghchi — labeled traitors

Donald Trump, for his part — despite remarking on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara on Wednesday, July 8, that he is effectively a “wanted man” in Iran — had no hesitation in giving a de facto green light to U.S. Armed Forces to continue their strikes, by verbally rejecting any further negotiations with Tehran. What remains unclear, of course, is exactly which “Tehran” the U.S. President is referring to — whether it is Iran’s political leadership or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which numerous reports suggest holds the true reins of power in the country. Trump was unambiguous on one point, however: “I receive threats constantly. I am number one on their list.”

Devoted hardliners of the theocratic regime have meanwhile set their sights on Masoud Pezeshkian and Abbas Araghchi, branding both men as traitors. Iran’s President and Foreign Minister became targets of violent harassment following the memorandum of understanding they signed with the United States. Beyond verbal abuse and open condemnation, both officials were subjected to physical attacks. Crowds screamed at them: “You are traitors — you deserve death.”