Trump presses ahead with paused talks while OPEC+ boosts oil output

Millions of black-clad mourners on Monday flocked into Tehran in a procession as part of the funeral of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but controversial remarks by United States President Donald Trump have sparked a fierce backlash, threatening his fragile pledge of restraint amid high tensions.

A truck carrying Khamenei's flag-draped coffin moved slowly through dense crowds in what officials called the largest public gathering in the country's modern history. The 12-hour procession will transport the coffin through streets en route to Mehrabad International Airport.

The US, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back Tehran's nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war. Trump told the Axios news website on Sunday that US-Iran talks have been suspended for one week to accommodate Iran's mourning.

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However, Trump also said Washington could "wipe out" Iran's leadership with "one shot" while senior Iranian figures had gathered for the funeral. "But we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with," he said.

He also expressed surprise at seeing Iranian mourners weep during the ceremonies, saying, "Maybe it's fake tears," Axios reported.

Iran's embassy in Armenia immediately reacted to Trump's remarks in a post on X: "You don't understand these things because you have neither civilization, nor history, nor honor."

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued fresh threats amid Tehran's ongoing rituals, vowing to "eliminate" any Iranian leader seeking action against Israel, Israel's Channel 13 reported.

Earlier, Katz said Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba, was "marked for death", spurring an angry protest from Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump "has committed the US to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv", adding, "Any threat against our people and leadership will receive an immediate, powerful response."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf earlier said Iran remains deeply at odds with the US despite the recent memorandum of understanding, describing the implementation as "difficult, but possible".

As mourning ceremonies unfold, growing numbers of attendees have vowed to avenge Khamenei's death. Khamenei and several of his family members were killed on Feb 28 in the opening US-Israeli airstrikes.

Tasnim News Agency, citing a senior source, said 13 countries have either canceled or downgraded their funeral attendance under US diplomatic pressure.

Energy prices

Throughout the conflict, Iran has targeted US military bases across the region, pressured host nations and retained effective maritime control over the Strait of Hormuz. The resulting global energy price spikes prompted Trump to accelerate diplomatic efforts for de-escalation.

Oil prices fell by more than 1 percent on Monday after seven members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies — collectively known as OPEC+ — agreed on Sunday to raise collective oil output by 188,000 barrels per day.

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The adjustment will be implemented in August, involving Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman. It marks the alliance's fifth consecutive monthly output hike, even after the United Arab Emirates formally withdrew from OPEC+on May 1.

Highlighting its independent strategy, UAE state oil giant ADNOC on Monday launched a new liquefied natural gas marketing and trading platform. The platform is targeting 47 million metric tons per annum of combined marketable LNG by 2035, which would rank it among the world's largest LNG players.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn