Leader pays tribute to lmam Khomeini (God’s mercy upon him), Iranian martyrs

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei pays respect to late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini (God’s mercy upon him) and Iranian martyrs as the country is about to start celebrations marking the run-up to the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

According to Press TV, Ayatollah Khamenei attended Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran on Wednesday, saying prayers and reciting holy Qur’an there.

The Leader then reached the burial ground of the martyrs, who lost their lives either during the popular struggle that led to the Revolution or their endeavors to uphold its values afterwards, in Behesht-e Zahra, the country’s largest cemetery, which is likewise located in southern Tehran.

Ayatollah Khamenei also paid tribute to those martyred on June 28, 1981, during a bomb attack by the notorious US-backed Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terror group in Tehran.

The Leader also visited the tombstones of those who lost their lives during the ex-Iraqi regime’s Western-backed war of 1980-88 against the Islamic Republic, among other martyrs.

The annual celebrations will start on Friday, which marks the anniversary of Imam Khomeini’s return to Iran from forced exile by the country’s ousted monarchical Pahlavi regime in Paris in 1979.

The ten-day celebrations will culminate on February 11, which marks the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The period witnessed last-ditch efforts by the Washington-backed regime of Iran’s former monarch to hold onto power by unleashing deadly force on pro-Revolution Iranian protesters.

The entire struggle resulting in the Revolution was led by Imam Khomeini (God’s mercy upon him), who successfully united the country’s people against the regime’s oppression and dependence on the US.

Separately, President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet ministers also attended the Mausoleum and Behesht-e Zahra on Tuesday.

They paid their respects and renewed their allegiance with the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, besides attending the cemetery to pay tribute to the martyrs.

ME