US official says Netanyahu’s Iran war promises fell short - Axios

The Islamic Republic's state funeral for Ali Khamenei has drawn criticism over its attendance, the extensive public resources devoted to the event and what many Iranians described as an unsuccessful attempt to project political strength, following the burial ceremony.

Images and videos from Tehran's prayer ground complex prompted widespread discussion among Iranians, with many saying attendance fell short despite an extensive state mobilization effort.

Messages sent to Iran International argued authorities relied on government employees, security forces, organized transportation, free meals and public holidays to maximize turnout, yet still failed to fill the designated venue.

For many, the relatively sparse gathering represented more than a logistical disappointment.

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Wall Street ended higher on Monday as oil prices settled around levels last seen before the US-Israel war with Iran, while investors looked ahead to corporate earnings and new developments in the AI and chipmaker sectors.

All three major US indexes closed in positive territory.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.29%, the S&P 500 gained 0.72% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.12%.

Participants carried placards resembling assassination target lists, with red crosshairs superimposed on the faces of several US and pro-Israel figures.

Those pictured included Trump, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, activist Laura Loomer, Israeli-American billionaire Miriam Adelson, Foundation for Defense of Democracies chief Mark Dubowitz, investor Peter Thiel and others.

The placards read: “Sooner or later, your heads will roll.”

Participants also hanged an effigy of Trump, while others carried a large banner reading “Kill Trump – $100 Million Iranian Bounty” in front of the vehicle carrying Khamenei’s coffin.

A video published online showed Islamic Republic supporters throwing stones at a poster of Trump before tearing it apart.

In another video from the procession, mourners chanted: “We don't want a deal, we want Trump's head,” underscoring the contrast between public calls for revenge and the Islamic Republic’s parallel ceasefire and negotiation track with Washington.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency separately published footage showing supporters waving red flags and calling for revenge over Khamenei’s killing, reinforcing the retaliation theme that ran through the procession.

A large English-language poster depicting Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as wanted men was also displayed among the crowds, featuring threats including “There will be blood” and “Kill Trump” alongside images of the two leaders marked with crosshairs.

Iranian officials and pro-government figures have repeatedly called for revenge over Khamenei’s killing, while insisting that retaliation is separate from the country’s ceasefire and negotiation process.

Inside Tehran’s metro system, Islamic Republic supporters chanted slogans against negotiations with the United States, including: “We did not give martyrs to make peace, or to praise the murderer Trump.”

Another group chanted: “Death to the foreign-backed Pahlavi,” referring to exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, who has called for the end of the Islamic Republic.

The funeral, staged as a mass display of loyalty to the Islamic Republic’s slain leader, became a platform for threats against US and Israeli figures and against Iranian opposition figures abroad.

Iran has hit back at Germany after Berlin said Tehran should pay for mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz, saying instead that Germany must be held accountable for what it called its role in military aggression against Iran.

“The German Foreign Minister’s rhetoric on the Strait of Hormuz is utterly shameful — a grotesque distortion of reality,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X Monday.

Baqaei said Germany should bear the costs of what he described as its “active participation in the crime of aggression,” adding that “offensive posturing” would not allow what he called the “Berlin regime” to evade responsibility.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary warned US President Donald Trump that Tehran would respond “in another language” unless he spoke to the Iranian people “with respect,” after Trump said the United States would “finish the job” if no deal is reached with Iran.

“I say to the delusional president of the United States, who today threatened 91 million Iranians: Speak to the Iranian people with respect, or we will respond to you in another language,” Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said.

Zolghadr said Trump had previously used similar language to threaten Iran’s “several-thousand-year-old civilization,” adding that the result for Washington had been “defeat, desperation and requests for negotiations and a ceasefire.”

Trump earlier said Washington was “close to maybe making a deal” with Iran but warned: “We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job.”

Trump also said the United States could “knock down” Iran’s bridges “in one hour” and take out its energy supply and power plants “in a small part of an afternoon.”