‘Fearless Presence’
Leader attends Ashura mourning ceremony
Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday attended a religious ceremony to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Imam of Shia Muslims, an issue that turned into a matter of importance after recent Israel’s aggression against Iran.
The ceremony was held at central Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Husseiniyeh, a mosque named after the founder of the Islamic Republic on the eve of Ashura, the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram on which Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBHU), was martyred by a tyrannical ruler during a battle in Iraq’s Karbala in the seventh century.
The leader greeted people from all walks of life and was cheered by participants.
Ayatollah Khamenei did not deliver a speech at the event but his attendance drew reactions from many Iranian officials, especially after he was absent in another religious ceremony held earlier in Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a post on X said, “the Husseiniyeh of Iran will be eternal and will stand firm forever.”
First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref in a post on his Telegram account said that the Iranian people would not allow the “sinister dreams of Iran's ill-wishers to come true”.
Former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also took to X, saying that the “fearless presence” of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a traditional public gathering “permanently shattered the delusional lies that paid pundits have been pushing”.
“Time to wake up and admit that #Iranians_never_surrender”, Zarif said.
“Stand on the right side of history and #Never_Threaten_Iran”, he added.
On June 13, the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked aggression against Iran, which claimed the lives of more than 900 Iranians, including civilians, nuclear scientists and the country’s top military commanders.
The US also joined the aggression by targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
In response, Iran’s Armed Forces launched barrages of missiles at Israel’s targets in the occupied territories, which killed at least 28 Israelis. The Iranian forces also pounded the US largest military base in the Middle East in Qatar with missiles.
A cease-fire proposed by the US put an end to the 12-day conflict on June 24.