Iranians hold Eid prayers as Middle East war rages on

TEHRAN – Thousands of Muslims held Eid al-Fitr prayers in Iran on March 21 to mark the end of the Ramadan fast against the backdrop of the Middle East war, state television footage showed.

Iran, a majority Shi’ite nation, marked the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan a day after most other Muslim countries, which are mainly Sunni.

The Islamic republic’s supreme leader traditionally leads the Eid prayers but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment earlier in March, did not attend.

The head of the judiciary, Mr Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, however, attended the prayer at central Tehran’s Imam Khomeini grand mosque – named after the founder of the Islamic republic.

For lack of space, many worshippers followed the prayer outside, with state television showing images of crowded areas around the mosque, despite the risk of strikes.

The Iranian capital has come under near-daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on Feb 28, killing top officials, including Mr Mojtaba Khamenei’s father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Overnight strikes again targeted several districts of Tehran and its outskirts, as well as the central city of Isfahan, according to the Fars news agency.

Iranian television also showed prayer gatherings elsewhere in the country, including in Arak in the centre, Zahedan in the south-east and the western city of Abadan. AFP