The Leader of the Islamic Revolution honoured the grand religious authorities, elites, tribal chiefs, and all the admirable young people and citizens of Iraq in a message. He praised them for creating the deeply meaningful epic of the funeral procession for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the holy shrines. He also described the unprecedented procession of millions for the Standard-Bearer of the Resistance as a complete manifestation of solidarity, brotherhood and shared purpose between the Iraqi and Iranian nations. He highlighted that the presence of tens of millions in both Iran and Iraq for the funeral procession and farewell to the Martyred Combatant Imam (May God elevate his noble station) has opened a new chapter of awakening and active engagement to change the prearranged configurations of the arrogant powers.

The full text of the message from His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei is as follows:

In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

We extend our salutations, greetings, profound respect and abundant appreciation to the esteemed grand religious authorities; the honoured scholars, instructors and learned figures of the Islamic seminaries and universities; the distinguished intellectuals and elites; the commanders and tribal chiefs; the heads of the clans and communities; and the noble, affectionate people and the honourable, courageous youth of the oppressed land of Iraq.

The faithful people of Iraq enjoy the immense blessing of proximity to and of hosting the Household of God (may God’s blessings and peace be upon them all) at the holy shrines. They possess a brilliant cultural heritage, benefit from a spiritual and guiding foundation in the luminous, ancient seminary of Najaf Ashraf, and have a history of militant action on the front lines of the Resistance. Having welcomed the great and noble martyred Leader (May God elevate his noble station), they, like the Iranian nation, have created a magnificent and deeply meaningful epic of grief and anguish.

From the day the sacred footsteps of our Master, Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) (as), graced its soil, Iraq became a blessed land. Before long, its people proudly submitted to the bond of love and acceptance of his wilāyah (spiritual guardianship) and that of his pure descendants (as). Even when tyrants and oppressive rulers dominated this land, they were never able to remove the pure jewel of wilāyah and love for the Immaculate Household from the people’s hearts. For this reason, after the fall of the Baathist regime, the great phenomenon of the Arbaeen Walk arose, springing from the depths of faithful people’s souls. It has continued to grow and expand since then. It was precisely for this reason that the people honoured his arrival with their whole being. After years of outward separation from the holy shrines, the oppressed and martyred descendant of the Commander of the Faithful and the Chief of Martyrs (as) had returned; this time with a body resembling Husayn, his mother and his brother, to circumambulate their luminous shrines.

Moreover, this unprecedented millions-strong procession for the Standard-Bearer of the Resistance perfectly demonstrated the solidarity, brotherhood and shared purpose between the two nations of Iraq and Iran. Without doubt, the leaders of global arrogance watched the images of the magnificent scenes from this vast gathering in Iraq with fearful hearts. They saw that the massive investments they had made to damage relations between the two countries had proved futile. The turnout of tens of millions of people in both Iran and Iraq for the funeral procession and farewell to the Martyred Combatant Imam (may God elevate his noble station) has opened a new chapter of awakening and active engagement to change the previous configurations of the arrogant powers. The Great Satan, criminal America, has now understood that the continuation of its trouble-free and hegemonic presence in the region was nothing more than a naive delusion.

Soon, the generous Iraqi nation and its warm-hearted and loving tribes and communities will once again open their arms to the eager pilgrims of Arbaeen, including multitudes who will perform the pilgrimage on behalf of the Martyred Gentleman of Iran. This will lead to remembrance of that magnificent funeral procession and of this great man, who may have cherished for years the desire to have the honour of visiting the holy shrines. It will demonstrate to everyone the truth of the slogan, “The love of Husayn unites us,” and, God willing, will be followed up by the prayers of our Master (aj) for the security, blessings, and progress of the Iraqi nation, by His grace and generosity.

Seyyed Mojtaba Husayni Khamenei

2 Safar al-Muzaffar 1448

26 Tir 1405/17th Jul, 2026