Senior officials, political figures hail Leader’s presence in Muharram mourning ceremony

Ayatollah Khamenei attended the ceremony in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday night on the eve of Ashura, which is the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram and is the day when Iman Hossein (PBUH) and his 72 companions were martyred during the battle of Karbala 14 centuries ago.

It was the first public appearance of the Leader since Israel carried out its war of aggression on Iran, which was met with a powerful response from the Iranian Armed Forces. During the 12-day conflict, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the nation through televised speeches three times, calling on them to remain strong and reaffirming the victory of the Islamic Republic over its adversaries.

At the Saturday ceremony, the Leader asked the eulogizer present there to recite an anthem about homeland, Iran, and its prosperity and protection against threats.

President Masoud Pezeshkian reacted to this in a post on his X account, to which he attached a photo of Ayatollah Khamenei sitting in Imam Khomeini religious center where the Saturday mourning ceremony was held. Pezeshkian rewrote parts of the anthem, which echo eternal loyalty to Iran.

First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref published a video of the Leader’s presence at the ceremony on his Instagram page, stating that the Iranian nation will not allow ill-wishers to pursue their plots against Iran.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shared a photo of Ayatollah Khamenei’s presence in Tehran’s religious center, describing it as the most beautiful picture he saw following arrival in Brazil hours after the Leader attended the ceremony. In an address to the Leader, Araqchi wrote “with you, one can brave the sea.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei also wrote on X that the holy month of Muharram this year symbolizes the 1400-year-old epic of preserving Iran, and that this year’s night on the eve of Ashura marked a moment of unity between Iran and Shia Islam.

Former vice president Mohammad-Javad Zarif said that the Leader’s brave presence at the public mourning ceremony thwarted lies propagated by mercenary experts. Zarif, who is also a former foreign minister, added that Iranians will never surrender, and therefore it is better to stand on the right side of history and avoid threatening Iran.

Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, a member of the reformist political party, the Association of Combatant Clerics, posted on his X account that the Leader’s presence and appearance was the most comforting incident amid the enemy’s “mind game.”

During the Israeli war of aggression, in which the United States directly involved by attacking three major Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli officials along with U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei. The threats caused widespread condemnation, with Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, one of Iran’s most senior clerics, issuing a fatwa (religious decree) declaring that any individual or regime threatening the Islamic Republic’s leadership and religious authority is guilty of moharebeh—a term in Islamic jurisprudence that means waging war against God.