Millions of Iranians from various social strata and as many Muslims worldwide have marked the 36th passing anniversary of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini.
The main mourning ceremony was held at Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran on Wednesday, with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei delivering a speech at the huge gathering.
This year’s mourning ceremony, held under the slogan of “Imam of Hope and Power”, gathered, as in the past years, thousands of pilgrims at Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum, while similar ceremonies were also organized in hundreds of cities and towns across the country.
Muslims and followers of Imam Khomeini also held mourning ceremonies in various countries, including in West Asian, African, and European states.
Speaking on the eve of the passing anniversary, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian underlined that if Iranians adhere to Imam Khomeini’s principles, no power can prevail against the Islamic Republic or other Muslim communities.
Highlighting Imam Khomeini’s call for independence, dignity, and resistance, Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic’s adversaries believe they can impede the progress of Muslim countries in science and stifle their creativity through threats and bribery, but their attempts are all in vain.
“Foreign adversaries and their internal agents are spending billions of dollars and launching propaganda campaigns to undermine national unity through rumors and lies,” the Iranian president said.
“The United States, Israel, and their allies are inciting discord and unrest to facilitate their malicious operations. However, they will never succeed in diminishing the unity of the Iranian nation.”
Regarding Iran’s foreign policy, Pezeshkian asserted that the Islamic Republic seeks peace and security and does not pursue nuclear weapons.
“Those who claim Iran is seeking weapons of mass destruction are the same individuals threatening Muslims in the region with such arms,” he said, adding, “No conscious and freedom-seeking individual” can ignore the blatant violations of human rights by the Israeli regime with the support of the US and Europe.
Imam Khomeini passed away aged 86 late on June 3, 1989. Hailed as one of the most influential figures in modern history, he led popular protests against Iran’s former Pahlavi regime which was a key ally of the United States.
Imam Khomeini spent many years in exile in Iraq, Turkey and France, from where he led a swelling grassroots movement which ultimately put an end to millennia of monarchical rule in Iran.
The anniversary is one day ahead of another landmark, June 5, 1963, the day Imam Khomeini’s first revolt against the monarchy witnessed demonstrations in Tehran and Qom.
