Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi reports over 22 million people participated in the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq's holy city of Karbala.
Karbala Gov. Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi reported that more than 22 million people entered the city for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage. The religious gathering, held 40 days after Ashoura, saw millions of Shiite Muslims from Iraq and 172 nations participate in the ritual of mourning and devotion. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi joined the pilgrimage, highlighting the close ties between Iraq and Iran. While the scale of the event defied expectations of regional war and economic strain, the demographics shifted as Iranian flags became more prominent than those from European and Arab countries. During the ceremony, a massive red banner was raised to honor the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was allegedly killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes. The pilgrimage also served as a political statement, with the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah rejecting calls from the administration to disarm. In Tehran and Dearborn, Michigan, large processions demonstrated the unity of the Resistance Front across the and global reach of the pilgrimage.