Some Iranians have, however, expressed that the conflict itself might have rallied additional support for the regime, shifting blame from Iran’s leadership to Trump and the U.S.
Trump told Axios on Saturday that he was surprised by the turnout of Iranians in support of the late Supreme Leader because he thought that they hated him.
“Maybe it’s fake tears,” Trump said.
On Monday, Khamenei’s funeral will continue with a 6-mile procession through central Tehran from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Square, the site of the revolution that founded the Islamic Republic.
Processions will also occur in the Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, one of the region’s Shi’ite-majority countries, before the late leader is buried in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest city, on July 9.
Whether Mojtaba Khamenei ultimately appears before the ceremonies conclude could become one of the final—and most closely watched—symbols of Iran’s effort to project continuity after one of the most consequential leadership transitions in the history of the Islamic Republic.
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