Trump says US gave Iran ‘a week off’ for funeral of Iran’ late supreme leader amid stalled talks
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi is pictured here on the right. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was not a “theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers”.
His warning came after the UK and France said they were ready to support freedom of navigation in the strait.
“Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of the Strait’s security, warns with sensitivity to any military movement in this waterway,” Gharibabadi said in an X post.
“The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states; the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism; this is a serious warning.”
Trump says US gave Iran ‘a week off’ for funeral of Iran’ late supreme leader amid stalled talks
US President Donald Trump said on Friday evening that Tehran is eager to settle with Washington, adding that the US had paused negotiations to allow for the slain former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral processions, which officially began in Iran.
Speaking at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, known as America 250, Trump touted the country’s military record.
“We created the strongest and most powerful military. We won two world wars,” he said, claiming that the Cold War had left America’s enemies “in the depths of history.”
Referring to recent conflicts, Trump said: “We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran; they’re dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave him a week off for a funeral because we’re nice.”
Read: Iran’s slain leader Khamenei laid in state for week of mass funeral events in Tehran
He also hailed the milestone anniversary and argued that “at 250 years, America is the oldest republic on Earth. We are the freest people on Earth. We have the most righteous and enduring constitution on Earth.”
“No one has ever given more to charity, ended more hunger, cured more disease, or done more to uplift humanity than Americans,” he claimed.
He warned of what he described as a renewed ideological threat at home, saying: “There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.”
Read more: US officials believed Israel plotted to kill Iranian negotiators: report
“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” he added, calling it “the greatest threat to our country, including World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor, or even 911.”
“America will never be a communist country,” he said, before turning to domestic politics: “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms,” adding that scrapping the filibuster and passing the “Save America Act” would ensure Republicans “will not lose an election for 100 years.”
