Ayatollah Khamenei applauds historic farewell to martyred leader

In a message issued following the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader praised what he described as the massive public participation in Iran and Iraq, calling it an extraordinary display of support.

“We pledge to avenge the pure blood of the martyred Leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced murderers,” he noted.

“I sincerely appreciate the presence of tens of millions of people in the cities and villages of Iran and Iraq, especially Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad,” he said, describing the turnout as “astonishing, enemy-breaking and historic.”

Addressing the martyred Leader directly, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “With tearful eyes and broken hearts, as we bid farewell to your body, we pledge to preserve your school of thought and steadfastly follow the straight path you charted, fearing no hardship and placing our trust, as you did, in God’s promises.”

The Leader declared that avenging the blood of the martyred Leader and all the martyrs of these two US-Israeli wars of aggression against Iran was “the demand of our nation and must certainly be carried out.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said those responsible “will take to their graves the dream of a peaceful death in bed,” adding that the pledge “does not depend on my presence or that of other officials.”

“Whether we are here or not, this will be realized, and soon, free people across the world will each carry out part of this divine mission,” he said.