Imam Khomeyni’s legacy lives on as Iranians mourn 31st anniversary of ‎passing

Iranians are marking 31 years since the departure of the revered ‎founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeyni, an eternal example of the ‎defeat of the West in imposing its will on freedom-seeking nations.‎

News ID: 450260

Date: 03 June 2020 - 16:20

RNA – Iranians are marking 31 years since the departure of the revered ‎founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeyni, an eternal example of the ‎defeat of the West in imposing its will on freedom-seeking nations.‎

Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Mousavi-Khomeyni, better known as Imam ‎Khomeyni, passed away on June 3, 1989 at the age of 87.‎

As an anti-imperialist icon, he devoted his life to standing up to Iran’s former ‎Pahlavi monarchy, a key ally of the United States, and eventually paved the ‎way for the regime’s downfall in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.‎

He spent many years in exile in Iraq, Turkey and France, from where he led a ‎swelling grassroots movement, which ultimately put an end to millennia of ‎monarchical rule in Iran. ‎

He was not allowed to return to Iran during Pahlavi’s reign, and only came ‎back home on February 1, 1979 after the monarch fled the country in the face ‎of angry popular demonstrations. The Pahlavi regime fully collapsed 10 days ‎later on February 11.‎

The mourning ceremonies for Imam Khomeyni precede the anniversary of ‎June 5, 1963 protests, which are remembered as a prelude to the revolution’s ‎victory. The protests broke out after Imam Khomeyni was arrested for ‎delivering a historic speech in the holy city of Qom, where he lambasted the ‎‎“capitulation law” granting immunity to Americans on Iranian soil.‎

Every year on the occasion, a commemoration ceremony is held at Imam ‎Khomeyni’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran, with large crowds of mourners ‎attending. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed ‎Ali Khamenei, traditionally addresses the annual event.‎

This year, however, the ceremony has been canceled in a bid to observe ‎social distancing measures in place to protect against the novel coronavirus ‎‎(COVID-19) pandemic and replaced with a live televised speech by Ayatollah ‎Khamenei at 11:00 a.m. local time.‎

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