Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held a Russian-made Dragunov rifle while addressing a mass gathering in a rare Friday prayer meet to commemorate the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Khamenei delivered the sermon to thousands of worshippers carrying portraits of slain leaders of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States.
The 85-year-old leader with a rifle highlighted deterrence, as Khamenei insisted that Iran would not back down in the face of Israeli aggression. Khamenei warned that Israel “will not last long” and said that Muslims should strengthen their defences across all Islamic countries and vowed to strike Israel again amid the escalating tension in the region.
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This marked Khamenei’s first-time leading Friday prayers since he commemorated the death of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, nearly five years ago.
Khamenei also said that every country has the right to defend itself from aggressors during the sermon. He defended Iran’s missile attack on Israel as “legal and legitimate”.
The sermon comes days after the country ordered a missile attack on Israel earlier this week in response to Nasrallah’s assassination. Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles in response to the killing of Nasrallah and other key figures linked to Iran.
‘Nasrallah Is No Longer Among Us’
During his speech, the Iranian supreme leader said, “Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah is no longer among us physically, but his path and his resonant voice are and will continue to be with us. He was the articulate voice and brave supporter of the oppressed.” Khamenei said the enemy of Iran is the enemy of Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Yemen.
“The enemy is working everywhere with a special method, but the operations room is the same and they take orders from there. If the enemy is relieved of one country, he will go to the next country,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency. “The Palestinian nation has the right to stand against the enemy who has occupied its land and ruined its life. Defending the Palestinians is legitimate, and helping them is also legitimate,” he said while referring to Israel.
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Why Khamenei chose Imam Khomeini Mosque?
Khamenei held the rare Friday sermon at the historic Imam Khomeini Mosque, which played a crucial role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Constructed in the 18th century, The Imam Khomeini Mosque is one of Iran’s most significant architectural site, situated in Tehran.
The grand mosque was a symbol of resistance and a hub for dissenting voices led to the ouster of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as reported by India Today.
The mosque witnessed several protests and strikes as social unrest and economic discontent grew under Pahlavi’s regime. It also acted as a coordination centre for different opposition groups, helping to unify factions under the banner of Islamic nationalism. The mosque was renamed the Imam Khomeini Mosque after the ouster of the Shah in 1979.
Khomeini Mosque remains an important site for religious and political gatherings since then.
(With inputs from agencies)
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