US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed the United States temporarily eased pressure on Iran to allow funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying Tehran was now eager to negotiate following recent hostilities.
Speaking during America’s 250th Independence Day celebrations at Mount Rushmore, Trump said US military action had severely weakened Iran’s leadership and asserted that Washington had paused its campaign for humanitarian reasons.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran. They’re dying to settle. We gave them a week off for a funeral because we’re nice people,” Trump told the crowd.
The president also touted his administration’s foreign policy record, claiming the United States had secured a swift victory in Venezuela while describing the US military as the strongest in history.
“We beat Venezuela in one day,” he said, adding that America had built “the strongest and most powerful military.”
Turning to the economy, Trump said the United States was experiencing an unprecedented investment boom, claiming the country had attracted $19.2 trillion in investments over the past year.
“We built the biggest and most dynamic economy … Our country today is doing better than it’s ever done before,” he said, attributing the surge to tariffs, a pro-business environment and his election victory.
Trump said manufacturing activity had accelerated rapidly, with factories being built across the country at record levels.
“Plants and factories are being built all over the United States right now … we’re breaking records by double, triple, quadruple,” he said.
Contrasting the current situation with former President Joe Biden’s administration, Trump argued that the United States had transformed from a nation in decline into what he called “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
“Two years ago, we were laughed at, mocked, and a nation in decline … and today, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world,” Trump said, adding that “the best is yet to come.”
Trump’s remarks came as funeral rites for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continued, with tensions between Washington and Tehran remaining a key focus of global attention.
