Iranian Diaspora and Tehran Crowds Target Donald Trump

Events surrounding the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 6, 2026, triggered opposing waves of protests and threats directed at Donald Trump. In Tehran, state-authorized processions featured crowds waving red flags and calling for the murder of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During a march toward Azadi Square, Trump was hanged in effigy, and banners publicized a $100 million bounty on his head.

Government officials and state-approved speakers framed the funerals as a call for revenge. National Security Council Secretary Mohammed Baher Zolhardr noted crowds were shouting slogans of resistance, while poet Mohammad Rasouli explicitly questioned why Trump remained alive after the death of the imam.

Simultaneously, Iranian anti-regime diaspora members conducted global protests in cities including London, Rome, Berlin, and New York City. Following a call to action by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, these demonstrators denounced a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Trump and the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Protesters at various U.S. embassies demanded an end to negotiations with the Iranian government and sought the recognition of Pahlavi as the legitimate representative of the Iranian people. While the diaspora targeted Trump for his diplomatic engagement with the regime, the Tehran processions targeted him for elimination.